CDA Ramazan Cup concludes with focus on emerging cricket talent

ISLAMABAD, Mar 18 (APP): The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Wednesday concluded its Talent Hunt Ramazan Cup 2026 at the National Cricket Ground in F-7, with G-10 Junoon Cricket Club and F-6 Mavericks winning the men’s and women’s titles, respectively.

The men’s final saw G-10 Junoon Cricket Club defeat F-8 JJ Cricket Team, while F-6 Mavericks registered a six-wicket victory over F-10 United Cricket Team in the women’s final.

Muneeb Maqbool was declared Player of the Tournament in the men’s category, while Fajar Naveed received the award in the women’s competition.

CDA Chairman and Chief Commissioner Islamabad Muhammad Ali Randhawa, who attended the closing ceremony as chief guest, distributed prizes among players and appreciated their performances.

A total of 10 teams participated in the men’s tournament, including eight clubs from Islamabad and two teams — Chairman CDA XI and Minister XI — selected through open trials. In the women’s category, six teams were formed following nationwide trials.

Individual awards in the men’s category included Best Bowler (Osama Afridi), Best Batsman (Zeeshan Farid) and Best Wicketkeeper (Fahad Saleem). In the women’s event, Maham Anis was named best batter, Noor-ul-Ain best bowler and Mahwish best wicketkeeper.

More than Rs2 million in prize money was distributed among the winners and runners-up. The women’s winning team received Rs600,000, while the runners-up were awarded Rs300,000. In the men’s category, the winners received Rs300,000 and the runners-up Rs150,000.

Speaking on the occasion, Randhawa said the prize money for the women’s competition had been increased to promote female participation in sports.

He added that more sports facilities, including eight new grounds, would be developed in Islamabad, particularly for women.

He said the initiative aimed to identify talent for the national women’s cricket team and announced that formal net practice facilities for women would also be introduced.

Senior journalist Hamid Mir, present at the event, termed the tournament a significant step for women’s cricket in Islamabad and appreciated CDA’s efforts in organising the competition.

Randhawa said the authority would continue to organise such events to promote healthy activities in the federal capital.