The PCB has hiked the participation fees nearly threefold for departments to play in the President's Trophy (first-class) and President's Cup (List A) this season, as part of changes that also provide the board greater oversight into the management of the players turning out for department sides.
The three-page document, which Cricinfo has seen, also details the remuneration structure for players and compels each department to provide its players with at least 12-month-long contracts. It strips them of the authority to issue NOCs to their contracted players for participation in the foreign leagues. There is also an introduction of a guest player policy to ensure the participation of Pakistan men's and Shaheens players in those tournaments. But the clause most likely to jolt them is the hike in the annual participation fee.
Grade-1 department sides - such as SNGPL, WAPDA - are now required to pay PKR 15 million to field their team in the 2026-27 season, which commences in August. A source in one of the departments told Cricinfo the annual participation fee last season was PKR 5 million. Departments had been told about the impending hike earlier.
While the significant increase is expected to send shockwaves across all departments, the PCB maintains these earnings will be used to cover operational costs of the Grade-1 tournaments rather than filling the PCB's coffers.
A PCB official linked the increase in the participation fee to inflation and said it will cover production expenses for livestreaming the two tournaments, ground and umpire fees, and player clothing.
Departments playing non-first-class Grade-II cricket are also required to pay the PCB PKR 4.2 million and PKR 4 million as their participation fee (across two divisions).
As many as 32 teams played across the four department tournaments during the 2025-26 season. Eight teams played Grade-1 tournaments while the remaining 24 (14 in Gold and 10 in Silver) played in Grade-II.
Pakistan's men's domestic structure is based on teams from departments and regions. While departments field their teams in senior cricket, the regional teams, selected and managed by the PCB-affiliated 16 regions, field teams in senior and age-group competitions. The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the National T20 Cup is currently played by the regions. Except for Lahore and Karachi, who field two teams each, the remaining 14 regions have fielded a team each from the pathways to senior tournaments until the 2025-26 season. That, however, will change with the introduction of additional Sialkot and Peshawar teams.
The PCB has also outlined minimum monthly salaries, match fee, and daily allowances each department must pay to their players. These will be in addition to the participation fee. Each department is required to offer players 12-month contracts and all transactions have to be made directly into players' bank accounts. The PCB official explained to Cricinfo that this measure was required to ensure a player's wellbeing, noting previous infractions where players were underpaid or faced delays.
Grade-1 teams are required to pay a minimum of PKR 150,000 per month or a lump sum of PKR 1.5million to a player. The minimum match fee for a first-class or a List-A match is set at PKR 10,000 with the daily allowance being at least PKR 5,000. Grade-2 teams are required to pay PKR 75,000 (Gold) and PKR 50,000 (Silver) per month and match fees and daily allowances of PKR 5,000 and PKR 4,000, respectively.
Each squad will consist of 20 players, who will only be allowed to participate after clearing fitness tests conducted by the PCB. Every squad must have at least two under-21 players, who have come through the PCB's under-17 and under-19 tournaments, and at least one must be part of the playing XI.
Players will be allowed to hold PCB's domestic and department contracts simultaneously. The PCB also offers domestic contracts and it currently has 156 players on its payroll for the 2025-26 season.
Guest players to feature for departments
Each department will be required to adjust additional players to its roster from a pool of the top players curated by the national selection committee. This 30+ player pool will consist of Pakistan internationals, Shaheens, and other top performers and will be allocated to each department as guest players.
Since the PCB has not organised a 50-over tournament for regional sides since the 2023-24 season and there continues to be a one-day tournament for departments, the PCB expects that this move will provide ample opportunities to potential players ahead of next year's 50-over World Cup.
Departments not allowed to issue NOCs
The authority to issue NOCs for foreign leagues will rest entirely with the PCB now. Previously players could seek an NOC from their departments to play abroad during the window in which department tournaments took place. Over the last few seasons, there have been reports of disagreements and miscommunication between players and departments over the NOCs.
A PCB media release said that department tournaments will be brought forward this season with the first-class President's Trophy beginning in September. Last season, it was played from December to February. The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will be played in the October-December window.
"The eight-team President's Trophy and Cup will be of critical importance in the coming domestic season with the PCB set to work closely with the departmental teams on a number of fronts to ensure high competition, player development and creating stable and transparent revenue streams for the domestic players," the statement said.
Cricinfo has learnt that PCB and departments are scheduled to have a meeting early next week over the new policy.