LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday said it has offered contracts to 360 players, who will represent 18 regions in the upcoming 2023-24 domestic season.
The contractual structure is divided into seven categories. The top A+ category contract, carrying a compensation of Rs300,000 per month, will be offered to 20 players.
The Category A, B, C and D meanwhile will be awarded to 30 players each and will offer monthly stipends of Rs200,000, Rs185,000, Rs170,000 and Rs150,000 respectively.
The 50 Category E players will earn Rs100,000 per month, while the 170 Category F players will take home Rs50,000.
The PCB will release the names of the contracted players “in due course”, it said in a press release.
The upcoming domestic season will feature eight regions and eight department teams in separate first-class tournaments. The remaining regional sides will compete in non first-class events.
The domestic structure, revamped after three seasons of a system made up of provincial association teams, is framed by the recently appointed Cricket Technical Committee of the PCB, headed by former Pakistan captains Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez.
“The committee had several meetings with all stakeholders to bring them on board, including regional presidents and representatives of departments,” said the board’s statement.
The season commences on Sept. 10 with the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy pitting top regional teams against each other, following which, top eight departments will feature in the President’s Trophy, starting December 15.
The 18 regional sides have been slotted with eight teams playing the premier first-class tournament Quaid-e-Azam Trophy while 10 regions will be playing Hanif Mohammad Trophy, a non first-class four-day tournament.
As per the new financial model, a player featuring in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will now get a match fee of Rs80,000, players participating in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy will get Rs40,000 per game.
Those playing the white-ball tournaments — the Pakistan Cup and the National T20 — will now earn Rs40,000 per game. The non-playing members of a first-class team will get Rs40,000 and earn Rs20,000 per match in white-ball cricket respectively.
