Lahore to host National Women's T20 Tournament

The National Women’s T20 Tournament 2025-26 gets underway on Friday, 27 March, with defending champions Stars facing Challengers in the opening fixture at the Ghani Glass Cricket Ground in Lahore. The match is scheduled to begin at 10am, with the toss set for 9:30am.

Five teams will compete in the 17-day tournament, with Stars, Challengers, Conquerors, Invincibles and Strikers all in contention. Each side features a 16-player squad, taking the total number of participants to 80.

Stars will be captained by Pakistan leg-spinner Tuba Hassan, while experienced fast bowler Diana Baig leads Challengers, bringing with her a wealth of international experience. Conquerors, last season’s runners-up, will be under the leadership of Pakistan white-ball captain Fatima Sana. Invincibles will be led by wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali, and Strikers by left-arm spinner Nashra Sundhu.

The competition will follow a double-league format, with each team playing a minimum of eight matches across a total of 21 fixtures. The top two sides at the end of the league stage will advance to the final.

Matches will be held at three venues in Lahore: Bagh-e-Jinnah, Ghani Glass Cricket Ground and the LCCA Ground. The final is scheduled for Sunday, 12 April at the Ghani Glass Cricket Ground and will be live-streamed on the PCB’s YouTube channel.

Beyond domestic honours, the event also serves as an important platform for players aiming to break into the national side, with Pakistan’s upcoming international calendar featuring a home series against Zimbabwe, a T20I tri-series in Ireland, and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales from 12 June to 5 July.

“As a captain, I will try to set an example through my actions, give confidence to the players and encourage them to express themselves. It is important that they enjoy their cricket and execute the hard work they have put in over the past few months,” Fatima Sana was quoted as saying in a press release by the PCB.

“Tournaments like these provide a platform for women cricketers to come forward and perform for Pakistan. We will closely monitor performances here, especially with upcoming series in mind and ensure deserving players get opportunities,” she added.

The tournament carries a prize pool of PKR 3.3 million, with the champions set to receive PKR 1.5 million and the runners-up PKR 1 million.