Gujranwala, Mardan to play Pakistan Junior League opener

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday unveiled the schedule of the inaugural Pakistan Junior League that will be staged at the iconic Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Gujranwala Giants and Mardan Warriors will create history when they compete in the opening match of the tournament – the first of its kind – on October 6. Bahawalpur Royals will play Hyderabad Hunters on October 7. Both matches will be played under floodlights.

A total of 19 matches will be played in the 15-day tournament which includes 15 round matches followed by four playoffs including the October 21 final. Each of the six sides will play five matches in the single-league format (one against each of the five teams).

In order to provide the local cricket fans an extended opportunity of seeing the next generation of cricket stars play under the guidance of team mentors Javed Miandad (league mentor), Sir Vivian Richards (Gwadar Sharks), Shahid Afridi (Mardan Warriors), Shoaib Malik (Gujranwala Giants), Imran Tahir (Bahawalpur Royals), Daren Sammy (Hyderabad Hunters) and Colin Munro (Rawalpindi Royals), a total of four double-headers will be staged in the inaugural edition – all on weekends.

The first double-header day (October 8) will see Rawalpindi Raiders and Gwadar Sharks play their opening match of the tournament. Gujranwala Giants will play Bahawalpur Royals in the second match of the day.

Other than the day-night fixtures,15 matches will be staged under lights. The day-night matches start at 3:30pm while the night matches (single-headers) start at 8pm. The tournament final will also start at 8pm.

The foreign players will join their respective sides at the beginning of the tournament support period – on September 28.