Sohail Ali
LAHORE, Sep 21 (APP):The Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday unveiled the schedule of the inaugural Pakistan Junior League edition that will be staged here at the iconic Gaddafi Stadium.
Gujranwala Giants and Mardan Warriors will create history when they compete in the opening match of the tournament – the first of its kind – on Thursday, 6 October under the GSL lights.
Bahawalpur Royals will play Hyderabad Hunters in their tournament opener on 7 October, this match will also be staged under the lights.
A total of 19 matches will be played in the 15-day tournament which includes 15 round matches followed by four playoffs including the 21 October final (Friday). 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 (Saturday, 8 October) 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 local players in the meantime continue to prepare for the PJL at the ongoing Engro Cricket Coaching Project under the PCB Pathway Programme at the National High Performance Centre, Lahore.
The foreign players will join their respective sides at the beginning of the tournament support period – 28 September. The foreign mentors will join their teams in the first week of October. All six sides will start practice with their squads and coaching staff during the event support period.
Pakistan Junior League 2022 schedule: (Matches to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium)
6 October – Gujranwala Giants vs Mardan Warriors
7 October – Bahawalpur Royals vs Hyderabad Hunters
8 October – Rawalpindi Raiders vs Gwadar Sharks; Gujranwala Giants vs Bahawalpur Royals
9 October – Hyderabad Hunters vs Gwadar Sharks; Rawalpindi Raiders vs Mardan Warriors
10 October – Bahawalpur Royals vs Mardan Warriors
11 October – Hyderabad Hunters vs Rawalpindi Raiders
12 October – Gujranwala Giants vs Gwadar Sharks
13 October – Mardan Warriors vs Hyderabad Hunters
14 October – Rawalpindi Raiders vs Gujranwala Giants; Bahawalpur Royals vs Gwadar Sharks
15 October – Hyderabad Hunters vs Gujranwala Giants; Bahawalpur Royals vs Rawalpindi Raiders
16 October – Mardan Warriors vs Gwadar Sharks
18 October – Qualifier 1 (1 vs 2)
19 October – Eliminator (3 vs 4)
20 October – Qualifier 2 (Loser Qualifier 1 vs Winner Eliminator)
21 October – Final (Qualifier 1 Winner vs Qualifier 2 Winner)
Match timings:
Double-headers – 3:30pm & 8pm
All single-headers – 8pm
