The inaugural season of the newly announced National Champions Cup is scheduled to commence from August 11, and here are some of the biggest names in the tournament.
The National Champions Cup 2026 will consist of four teams: Pakistan Greens, Pakistan Whites, Pakistan Blues and Pakistan Gold. The newly introduced 50-over List A tournament marks the beginning of the new domestic season in Pakistan.
All four teams will play each other in a round-robin format, with the top two teams scheduled to lock horns in the final on Tuesday, August 18. All matches will commence at 3pm local time.
The national selection committee has announced a list of playing XIs for all four teams. Additionally, they have put together a pool of 13 players who will come into play in case of injuries and concussion. The reserve players are expected to accompany teams for practice sessions and matches as well.
Aaqib Javed, director of high performance and a member of the men’s national selection committee, stressed on the importance of the tournament in relation to the 2027 ODI World Cup: “We have arranged this high-profile 50-over competition to provide ample playing opportunities to our best available pool of players for ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 preparations.”
Here are some of the biggest stars to watch out for in the tournament:
Shadab Khan
At Pakistan Greens, Shadab will lead experienced players like Fakhar Zaman and Naseem Shah. Now 27, he recently starred in the T20 Blast for Lancashire after joining in as a replacement for the injured Chris Green.
Fakhar Zaman
Fakhar, who missed the ODI series against Australia due to an injury, will have a good chance to seal his spot for the ODI World Cup in 2027.
Naseem Shah
Naseem has not played ODIs since November 2025, agains Sri Lanka. He, too, will play for the Pakistan Greens, under Shadab and alongside Fakhar.
Saim Ayub
Opener-spinner will be leading Pakistan Whites. Like Naseem, he too last played an ODI against Sri Lanka in November 2025. In 17 ODI innings, Ayub has scored 751 runs at 46.93 with three centuries and as many fifties. He will hope to continue his stellar performance. The bowling is a nice bonus to have.
Haris Rauf
Now 32, Rauf featured in the recent home ODIs against Australia, where he picked four wickets at 26.5 with an economy of under five. Rauf will feature for the Pakistan Whites in the one week-long tournament, starting August 11.
Sahibzada Farhan
Opener Farhan, who was announced as Pakistan’s skipper for the upcoming Asian Games, will also lead Pakistan Blues in the National Champions Cup 2026. In the three ODIs against Australia, he managed only 37 runs. He will want to improve on that.
Hassan Ali
Right-arm speedster Hassan last featured in an ODI in August 2025, in the West Indies, where he got two wickets in two matches. He will be featuring for Pakistan Blues in the tournament, and will hope for a quick turnaround.
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Pakistan spearhead Shaheen will be leading Pakistan Gold. He was the joint-most wicket-holder in the ODIs against Australia at home, with seven wickets at 12.14 from three games.
Mohammad Nawaz
Nawaz, who was recently handed a doping ban by the ICC, will play for Pakistan Gold under Shaheen. The all-rounder was recently in the news after hitting three sixes off Piyush Chawla in the Lanka Premier League 2026 opener.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
