PCB eyes franchise-based T20 tournament for women

The Pakistan Cricket Board is looking to launch its own franchise-based T20 league for women. While countries like India, England, and Australia already have their own leagues, the PCB is taking a deliberate approach to ensure thorough preparation.

PCB women's wing head Rafia Haider stated that discussions are ongoing but nothing is finalized yet. "Of course it is going to be a huge move whenever it happens, so we'll take everyone on board and do our homework properly," she said.

Rafia outlined several initiatives to develop women's cricket in Pakistan:

• Dedicating the High-Performance Centre in Karachi for women's cricket, with year-round camps and training.
• Providing separate team management for the national team and U19/emerging sides.
• Planning to introduce school cricket for girls to build a broader talent pipeline.
• Regularizing domestic tournaments for U19 and senior/emerging sides, with a focus on expanding to U15 and U23 competitions.

"Our biggest challenge is taking women's cricket to the grassroots level, and we are making plans to overcome that through school and U15 tournaments," Rafia added.

She emphasized that the PCB is fully supportive, making women's cricket an integral part of the board. "People are embracing women's cricket—parents are now bringing their daughters to learn cricket, which shows cultural acceptance," she noted.

Reflecting on recent performances, Rafia acknowledged that Pakistan did not have a successful World Cup campaign but insisted the results don't reflect the team's true potential. "We came quite close against some big teams, and a couple of matches were abandoned. We need to develop for high-pressure environments and improve consistency," she said.

In 2025, Pakistan played 15 matches, winning six with three washed out.

Rafia also expressed support for captain Fatima Sana, who replaced Sana Mir. "Fatima is a good leader with the right qualities to be a good captain, and we will continue to support her," she said.