LAHORE - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially revealed the captains and provisional squads for the highly anticipated Champions One-Day Cup, set to take place in Faisalabad from 12th to 29th September. The captains were appointed by the mentors of the five participating teams: Misbah-ul-Haq (Wolves), Saqlain Mushtaq (Panthers), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Dolphins), Shoaib Malik (Stallions), and Waqar Younis (Lions).
Pakistan’s Test vice-captain, Saud Shakeel, will lead the Dolphins, while former T20I captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has been named skipper of the Lions. Shadab Khan, Pakistan’s former white-ball vice-captain, will helm the Panthers. The Stallions will be led by Pakistan Shaheens’ captain Mohammad Haris, and the Wolves will be under the leadership of veteran wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.
This 50-over tournament will feature the nation’s top cricketers, with all teams battling in a single-league format. The matches are scheduled to begin at 3 PM, with the exception of the Lions vs. Panthers clash on 16th September, which is set for an early start at 9:30 AM. The event will culminate in three playoff matches, with the final slated for Sunday, 29th September. The tournament kicks off with a much-anticipated match between Misbah-ul-Haq’s Wolves and Saqlain Mushtaq’s Panthers on 12th September.
The PCB has also revealed the provisional squads for the tournament, selected through a draft process led by the team mentors. The selection pool consisted of 150 players, with fitness tests serving as a key criterion for domestic contracted players. Among the 150 players, 125 were top performers from the past three domestic seasons, while the remaining 25 were wildcard entries, chosen for their experience with Pakistan’s senior, Shaheens, and Under-19 teams. The squads feature centrally contracted players who will undergo fitness tests in Faisalabad on 7th and 9th September.
The centrally contracted players per team include, Dolphins: Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Lions: Abdullah Shafique, Aamir Jamal, Imam-ul-Haq, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Panthers: Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Stallions: Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Zaman Khan and Wolves: Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani.
Several centrally contracted players have been excused from the tournament due to personal reasons, ongoing rehabilitation, or participation in international leagues, including Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim (currently playing in the CPL), Mohammad Abbas (County Cricket), and Haris Sohail.
Players such as Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal, and Azam Khan (also in the CPL) have also opted out of the tournament, while Fakhar Zaman is expected to return from the CPL on 10th September. Several players are undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy, including Ahsan Ali, Athar Mahmood, Rizwan Hussain, and Zeeshan Zamir. Additionally, Ahsan Ali, Hasan Ali, Ihsanullah, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr are also in rehabilitation.
Notably, nine domestic contracted players were excluded from the squads after failing fitness tests. These players include Ali Shafique, Sharjeel Khan, Danish Aziz, Saad Baig, and Shawaiz Irfan. Meanwhile, four players have returned to competitive cricket after completing rehabilitation and passing their fitness tests: Hunain Shah (Lions), Sameen Gul, Sufiyan Moqim (both Dolphins), and Shahnawaz Dahani (Wolves).
STALLIONS
Mohammad Haris (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Adil Amin, Azam Khan, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Jahandad Khan, Junaid Ali, Maaz Ahmad Sadaqat, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Amir Khan, Saad Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Ubaid Shah, Yasir Khan and Zaman Khan.
WOLVES
Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Abdul Samad, Akif Javed, Ali Usman, Bilawal Bhatti, Haseebullah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, Muhammad Imran, Naseem Shah, Nisar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zahid Mehmood and Zain Abbas.
LIONS
Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Aamir Jamal, Aamer Yamin, Faisal Akram, Hassan Nawaz, Hunain Shah, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Butt, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mohammad Taha, Omair Bin Yousuf, Rohail Nazir, Shahab Khan, Sharoon Siraj, Sirajuddin and Waqar Hussain.
DOLPHINS
Saud Shakeel (captain), Aftab Ibrahim, Asif Ali, Awais Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Kashif Ali, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Akhlaq, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Muhammad Riazullah, Noman Ali, Qasim Akram, Sameen Gul, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufiyan Moqim, Umar Amin and Usman Qadir.
PANTHERS
Shadab Khan (captain), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Ahmed Bashir, Ali Asfand, Ali Raza, Amad Butt, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Umar, Mohammad Zeeshan, Mubasir Khan, Rehan Afridi, Rizwan Mehmood, Saim Ayub, Umar Siddiq, Usama Mir, Usman Khan and Usman Salahuddin.
