Political unrest forces PCB to move President’s Trophy out of Peshawar and Abbottabad: Know all details

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to shift the ongoing first-class President’s Trophy Grade 1 competition out of Peshawar and Abbottabad after the federal government announced a state of emergency and imposed the rule of the governor in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, following the political turmoil in the region. 

Babar Azam was part of the tournament for the first two round as he returned with low scores in both the games. Some of the other notable members of the national side, including their premier pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and stand-in captain Salman Ali Agha, also took part in the domestic red-ball competition. 

Why has the PCB moved the President’s Trophy out of Peshawar and Abbottabad?

This year’s President’s Trophy was hosted in the four cities, with Islamabad and Rawalpindi being the other two. While the games in these venues will continue as per the current schedule with the sixth round beginning on October 12, the games slotted for Peshawar’s Imran Khan Stadium and Abbottabad Stadium have been rescheduled.

They are going to begin from October 14 at the Rana Naveed Academy in Sheikhupura, which will host the game between Ghani and Hyderabad Kingsmen Academy, while the LCCA Ground will host the encounter between Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and Oil Gas Development Company Limited.

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The reports have claimed that the LCCA will host the last-round fixture between Markhor IT Solutions and Pakistan TV, while the Islamabad ground will host the Hyderabad Kingsmen vs State Bank of Pakistan.

President’s Trophy 2026: How the teams have performed in the tournament so far

The State Bank of Pakistan is currently leading the President’s Trophy table with 84 points, which is followed by Ghani, who have 70 points with them. The Hyderabad Kingsmen, Pakistan TV, Markhor IT Solutions and Oil and Gas Development Company Limited have gained victories in all of their games.

Khan Research Laboratories and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, the finalists of the last season, are yet to win a game. Pakistan TV’s Mohammad Taha is currently the leading run-getter of the season so far with 681 runs in seven innings with three centuries and one fifty.

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In the bowling department, Mohammad llyas is the leading wicket-taker of the season with 23 scalps in eight innings at an average of under 18 with two five-wicket hauls at the best figures of 6/57.