Babar Azam will play under Mohammad Haris on the Stallions team.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the captains for the five Champions One-Day Cup teams, along with the provisional squads for the tournament, which will take place in Faisalabad from September 12 to 29.
According to the press release, the captains were selected by the mentors of the five teams: Misbah-ul-Haq (Wolves), Saqlain Mushtaq (Panthers), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Dolphins), Shoaib Malik (Stallions), and Waqar Younis (Lions).
Pakistan’s Test vice-captain Saud Shakeel has been named the captain of the Dolphins, while former Pakistan T20I captain Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead the Lions. The Panthers will be captained by former white-ball vice-captain Shadab Khan. Mohammad Haris, captain of the Pakistan Shaheens, will lead the Stallions, and former all-format vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan will captain the Wolves.
The Champions One-Day Cup will showcase Pakistan’s top cricketers in a 50-over competition played in a single-league format. The tournament will conclude with three playoff matches, ending with the final on Sunday, September 29.
In the opening match on September 12, Misbah-ul-Haq’s Wolves will go up against Saqlain Mushtaq’s Panthers.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has also announced the provisional squads for the five teams. These squads were selected by the team mentors through a draft process from a pool of 150 players, based on fitness tests conducted by the PCB—one of the main criteria for selection among domestically contracted players. Centrally contracted players will also undergo fitness tests in Faisalabad on September 7 and 9.
Of the 150 players, 125 were top performers from the last three domestic seasons, while the remaining 25 were wildcard picks, chosen based on their experience and performance for Pakistan, Pakistan Shaheens, or Pakistan Under-19 teams over the past three years.
Each team includes centrally contracted players:
- Dolphins: Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, Sarfaraz Ahmed
- Lions: Abdullah Shafique, Aamir Jamal, Imam-ul-Haq, Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Panthers: Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir
- Stallions: Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Zaman Khan
- Wolves: Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani
Some centrally contracted players are not part of the squads due to personal reasons or injuries, including Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim, Arshad Iqbal, Hasan Ali, Ihsanullah, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr. Additionally, certain players, such as Ahmed Shehzad, Azam Khan, Mohammad Amir, and Mohammad Abbas, have made themselves unavailable due to participation in other leagues or commitments.
Other players returning from rehabilitation after passing fitness tests include Hunain Shah, Sameen Gul, Sufiyan Moqim, and Shahnawaz Dahani.
The squads will be reduced to 15 players on September 10.
Squads:
Dolphins: Saud Shakeel (captain), Sarfaraz Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Sameen Gul, among others.
Lions: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Hunain Shah, among others.
Panthers: Shadab Khan (captain), Saim Ayub, Usama Mir, Haider Ali, among others.
Stallions: Mohammad Haris (captain), Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Shan Masood, Zaman Khan, among others.
Wolves: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, among others.
| Date | Match | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Sep | Wolves vs Panthers | 3:00 PM | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |
| 13 Sep | Stallions vs Lions | 3:00 PM | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |
| 14 Sep | Dolphins vs Panthers | 3:00 PM | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |
| 15 Sep | Wolves vs Stallions | 3:00 PM | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |
| 16 Sep | Lions vs Panthers | 9:30 AM | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |
| 17 Sep | Dolphins vs Wolves | 3:00 PM | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |
| 19 Sep | Stallions vs Dolphins | 3:00 PM | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |
| 20 Sep | Lions vs Wolves | 3:00 PM | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |
| 21 Sep | Panthers vs Stallions | 3:00 PM | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |
| 22 Sep | Dolphins vs Lions | 3:00 PM | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |
| 24 Sep | Qualifier (Team No. 1 vs Team No. 2) | 3:00 PM | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |
| 25 Sep | Eliminator 1 (Team No. 3 vs Team No. 4) | 3:00 PM | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |
| 27 Sep | Eliminator 2 (Losing Qualifier vs Winning Eliminator 1) | 3:00 PM | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |
| 29 Sep | Final | 3:00 PM | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |
Note: The match on 16 September will start at 9:30 AM, and all other matches will start at 3:00 PM.
