The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced the team rosters for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2026-27, featuring several prominent national players across the Gold and Silver tiers. The 69th edition of Pakistan's premier first-class competition will begin on November 3, with eight teams competing in the Gold tier and 12 sides taking part in the Silver competition.
Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam will represent Lahore Whites, while Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead FATA. Meanwhile, Mohammad Rizwan will captain Peshawar Blues, Saud Shakeel will lead defending champions Karachi Blues, and Abdullah Shafique will captain Sialkot Blues. The Gold tier will feature 29 first-class matches, while the Silver competition will stage 31 matches and serve as a qualifying pathway to the Gold tier for the next season.
Understanding the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Structure
The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy stands as the pinnacle of domestic red-ball cricket in Pakistan. It provides a platform for both seasoned internationals and emerging youngsters to showcase their skills over a demanding multi-day format. The tournament structure divides participating regions into two distinct tiers, ensuring competitive balance and offering a clear promotion and relegation pathway. Teams in the Gold tier battle to retain their elite status, while Silver tier participants fight for the opportunity to ascend to the top division in subsequent years.
Squad composition rules allow teams to manage player workloads effectively throughout the grueling schedule. Each side operates with 15 travelling members and retains the flexibility to select additional players from designated reserves or national-duty pools. This system accommodates international fixtures and injury replacements, ensuring that domestic matches maintain high competitive standards even when star players transition between international and regional duties.
Gold Tier Team Captains and Rosters
The eight Gold-tier teams have announced their initial rosters, including captains, reserve players and head coaches. Faisalabad enters the competition under the leadership of captain Muhammad Irfan Khan and vice-captain Abdul Samad, with Samiullah Niazi serving as head coach. Their squad includes Ahmed Safi Abdullah, Atiq-ur-Rehman, Shehzad Gul, Ali Asfand, Faheem Ashraf, Sameer Saqib, Ali Shan, Faham-ul-Haq, Muhammad Awais Zafar, Asad Raza, Khurram Shahzad, Malik Abdul Rafay, and Asim Ali Nasir. Reserves feature Daniyal Ali Khan, Mudasir Zunair, Ali Hassan, Muhammad Afzal, and Saifullah Khan.
FATA is led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, with Riaz Afridi coaching the squad. The roster features Muhammad Farooq, Sameen Gul, Sirajuddin, Salman Khan Jnr., Afaq Afridi, Hayatullah, Kashif Noor, Rehan Afridi, Fawad Arshad, Muhammad Sarwar, Shahid Aziz, Muhammad Usman Khan, Muhammad Wasim Khan, Khushdil Shah, and Adnan Khan. Reserves include Akif Javed, Kashif Noor, Khyalman, Muhammad Tahir, Adnan Khan, and Muhammad Usman Khan.
Islamabad is captained by Shamyl Hussain and coached by Naveed Latif. Their squad contains Raja Hamza Waheed, Ali Imran, Azim Bari, Muhammad Waseem Jnr., Sajid Raza, Sarmad Bhatti, Musa Khan, Mohammad Qaiser, Muhammad Hammad Khan, Rohail Nazir, Asfand Yar, Hasan Nawaz, Azan Tariq, and Umer Hameed. Reserves feature Shahid Islam, Sudais Ulfat, Rizwan Ali, Mohammad Qaiser, and Muhammad Sufyan.
Karachi Blues and Lahore Whites Lineups
Defending champions Karachi Blues enter the tournament under captain Saud Shakeel and head coach Syed Iqbal Imam. The roster features Saim Ayub, Afnan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Haroon Arshad, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Abdul Basit, Usman Khan, Muhammad Asghar, Umer Farooq, Rameez Aziz, Muhammad Umar, Danish Aziz, Saifullah Bangash, Muhammad Hamza Sohail, Muhammad Raza Chandio, and Asad Umar. The extensive reserve list includes Shan Masood, who is currently recovering from injury, alongside Abrar Ahmed, Zaryab Shah, Wahaj Riaz, Abdullah Fazal, Saad Baig, Saqib Khan, Rizwanullah, Niqab Shafiq, and Mir Hamza.
Lahore Whites are captained by Aamer Jamal, featuring star batter Babar Azam alongside Ali Zaryab, Muhammad Mohsin, Muhammad Akhlaq, Mohib Haider, Muhammad Salman Mirza, Zain Bin Farooq, Muhammad Faiq, Zulqarnain, Noman Ali, Muhammad Imran, Hunain Shah, Muhammad Kamran Afzal, and Tayyab Tahir. Aizaz Cheema takes charge as head coach, supported by a reserve contingent consisting of Usman Sohail, Noman Latif, Hussain Talat, Hamza Zahoor, Aalyan Salman, and Ahmed Daiyal.
Multan, Peshawar Blues and Sialkot Blues
Multan is led by captain Imam-ul-Haq and head coach Fahad Masood. The squad includes Uzair Mumtaz, Hasan Hafeez, Yousuf Babar, Waseem Akram Jnr., Faisal Akram, Moheer Saeed, Mohammad Ismail, Bilal Khan, Sharoon Siraj, Muhammad Shan, Waqar Ahmed, Imran Rafiq, and Aamer Yamin. Reserves feature Muhammad Basit, Ilman Khan, Alam Zaib, Rana Adeel, Bilal Ahmad, Arafat Minhas, Sameer Minhas, Muhammad Shahzad, and Ali Usman.
Peshawar Blues features Mohammad Rizwan as wicketkeeper-captain, with Abdul Rehman coaching the side. Players include Sahibzada Farhan, Muhammad Irfan, Maaz Sadaqat, Sajid Khan, Muhammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Haris, Muhammad Haleem, Muhammad Amir Khan, Israullah, Nabi Gul, Niaz Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Najab Khan, and Muhammad Adnan. Reserves comprise Muhammad Seyam, Sahibzada Abdullah, Muhammad Haleem, Najeebullah, and Muhammad Wisal.
Sialkot Blues is captained by Abdullah Shafique with Muhammad Tayyab Arif as vice-captain, under head coach Shahid Yousuf. The team includes Hamza Sheraz, Afzaal Manzoor, Muhammad Huraira, Hasan Ali, Ammad Butt, Tayyab Ali, Ahmed Hassan, Muhammad Ali, Athar Mehmood, Hamza Nazar, Mohsin Riaz, Muhammad Hamza, Shahzaib Bhatti, and Muhammad Abdul Rehman. Reserves feature Ali Raza, Rahatullah, Azan Awais, and Shoaib Akhtar Jnr.
Silver Tier Teams and Tournament Outlook
The Silver tier features 12 teams divided into two groups, incorporating a blend of emerging talent and seasoned campaigners. Abbottabad is captained by Khalid Usman and coached by Saqib Faqir, featuring Shahzaib Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Fakhar Zaman, Zain Ishaq, and Arshad Iqabl among others. Azad Jammu and Kashmir is led by Hasan Raza and coached by Nadeem Afzal. Bahawalpur plays under Muhammad Imran Randhawa with coach Ghulam Ali. Dera Murad Jamali is captained by Fahad Hussain and coached by Hussain Khosa. Hyderabad is led by Saad Khan with coach Azeem Ghumman. Karachi Whites features Jahanzaib Sultan as captain and Saeed Bin Nasir as head coach.
Lahore Blues is captained by Imran Butt and coached by Ashraf Ali. Larkana plays under Zahid Mehmood with coach Faisal Ather. Peshawar Whites is led by Waqar Ahmed and coached by Muhammad Saddiq. Quetta is captained by Abdul Wahid Bangalzai and coached by Wajahatullah Wasti. Rawalpindi is led by Mohammad Nawaz with coach Afaq Raheem. Sialkot Whites is captained by Muhammad Husnain Khan and coached by Shahzad Malik. These squads will compete intensely across multiple venues to secure promotion to the elite Gold tier.
