Eight regions ready to fight for National T20 title

16-day league-format tournament will be played in Rawalpindi

KARACHI: Pakistan's top eight regions will be seen in action as the much-awaited National T20 Cup commences at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from November 11.

Karachi Whites, Faisalabad, Lahore Whites, Lahore Blues, Peshawar, FATA, Rawalpindi and Islamabad will be participating in the league-format tournament, where each team will play seven matches.

Top four teams in the league will then qualify for the semi-finals.

Two matches will be played each day in the 16-day tournament with the first match scheduled to start at 12pm while the second at 4pm.

The prize money for the winner of the tournament has been set at Rs2 million with runners-up securing Rs1 million. Man of the final, best batsmen, best bowler and best all-rounder of the tournament will receive Rs50,000 apiece.

The man of the match for each match, except the final, will bag Rs25,000. The player who hits most number of sixes, fours, takes most number of wickets, and cups most number of catches will receive Rs25,000 each.

Interestingly, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has added a bonus of Rs1,000 for each six a player hits during his match in the tournament.

The tournament was earlier scheduled to be held in September in Multan and Faisalabad but due to the Independence Cup it was delayed and now it has been allocated to Rawalpindi following bad weather conditions due to smog in Faisalabad.

‘Chance for youngster to play alongside seniors’

Right-arm pacer Bilawal Bhatti, who was picked by FATA during the draft for the National T20, believes the Pakistan Super League-inspired (PSL) system has helped youngsters to prove their abilities.

“This is a really good step by the PCB,” said Bhatti while talking to The Express Tribune. “This will improve the quality of the tournament and give new players a chance to prove their mettle in the shortest format.”

He then praised the draft system for equally distributing senior players in each team. “I have been picked by FATA along with other top-class players, and now we’ll give our best to make our team win,” he said.

He continued: “This also provides young players with an opportunity to play alongside senior players and gain valuable experience.”

Lahore Whites batsman Asif Zakir, who hails from Karachi, believes that National T20, like PSL, will also be able to supply quality players for the national team.

“We saw that after PSL’s second edition many players got a chance to play for the national team,” said Zakir. “National T20 is being played on the same format thus new players have the chance to catch the eye of the selectors through their performances. So, we are optimistic that our performances for our teams will get us noticed.”