Champions cup: Twin cities set for cricketing extravaganza

RAWALPINDI: There is going to be more cricketing action for the residents of the twin cities as the prestigious Rawalpindi Cricket League is set to commence on the 15th of June. The matches will be played day and night at the Ayub National Park Cricket Stadium.

According to the organizers of the tournament, the registration of teams will remain open until the 1st of June.

Each team will consist of 16 players, and the organizers of the tournament will provide free cricket kits to the teams.

The finalist and the runner-up will receive prize money of 700,000 and 300,000 respectively.

The tournament coordinator, Zulfiqar Ahmad, stated that this tournament will provide a platform for young and emerging cricketers to show and prove their mettle.

Zulfiqar Ahmad also highlighted that a modern digital system would be utilized to ensure accurate data tracking and professional scoring throughout.

“The combination of day-night matches, professional organization, and substantial rewards is expected to elevate the standard of local cricket”, he said in an exclusive interview with APP.

Additionally, it may be noted that the Pakistan Super League 2025 (PSL-2025) also jerked the International Cricket Council (ICC) broadcasting record.

Recently, ICC released broadcast figures for the 2025 Champions Trophy co-hosted by Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, revealing that it was the most watched iteration in the tournament’s history.

In total, the tournament saw 368 billion global viewing minutes, a 19 per cent increase from the 2017 Champions Trophy hosted by England and Wales. The event also featured the most global viewing minutes per over for an ICC event, with 308 million.

The final between India and New Zealand was the most watched Champions Trophy match in history with 65.3 billion live viewing minutes globally. That’s 52.1 per cent more than the previous record holder, the 2017 Champions Trophy final.

The contest was also the third most watched ICC match ever, only trailing behind the 2023 World Cup semi-final match between India and New Zealand, and that event’s final between India and Australia.