LAHORE: The CEO of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Faisal Hasnain on Tuesday announced that the cricket board will take complete ownership of the Pakistan Junior League (PJL) instead of selling the teams’ rights.

In a formal statement issued by the PCB, Faisal affirmed that the PCB will fully assume ownership of the domestic league in an effort to demonstrate its higher significance, context, and permanence.

“Instead of selling team rights, the PCB has made a strategic decision to take complete ownership of the inaugural edition. This gives us the chance to present to the world and to all our valued commercial partners that this is an event that has a high value, context and is here to stay,” Faisal stated.

“While the process for the sale of other commercial inventory is ongoing and we remain confident of attracting high-quality sponsors, I want to thank all the investors who expressed their interest in procuring team naming rights. We will continue the discussions with them after the completion of the tournament, with a future aim of building a long-term relationship,” he added.

The PCB CEO then went on to confirm the names of the six teams and their mentors, while also asserting that the cricket board received tremendous interest in the PJL within and outside Pakistan.

“There is tremendous interest within and outside Pakistan about this league and we have maintained that momentum by today confirming the city names and their mentors. The six cities mirror our domestic cricket structure,” PCB quoted Faisal.

The six teams competing in this first-of-its-kind U19 domestic cricket competition are Bahawalpur (Southern Punjab), Gujranwala (Central Punjab), Gwadar (Balochistan), Hyderabad (Sindh), Mardan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), and Rawalpindi (Northern).

South Africa’s legendary spinner Imran Tahir will serve as the mentor of Bahawalpur, Pakistan’s two-time ICC tournament winner Shoaib Malik will be Gujranwala’s mentor, and West Indies great Vivian Richards will be the mentor of Gwadar.

Another West Indian, Daren Sammy, a two-time ICC T20 World Cup winner will the mentor for Hyderabad, 2009 T20 World Cup winner and star all-rounder Shahid Afridi will be the mentor of Mardan, while the explosive New Zealand batter Colin Munro will be the team mentor of Rawalpindi.

Javed Miandad, a former captain of Pakistan and PCB Hall of Famer, will serve as the roaming umbrella mentor, supporting and guiding all the parties.

The PCB further stated that the players’ draft for the PJL, which will be played on a single-league basis, will take place in Lahore on September 6.

More than 140 players from Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, Ireland, Nepal, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Scotland, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe and the United Arab Emirates have completed their registrations for the tournament.

The first-of-its-kind T20 league will take place here from October 6 to 21. Players born on or after 1 September 2003 are eligible to participate in the inaugural edition.

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