- Bahawalpur beat FATA, while Rawalpindi got over the line against Hyderabad as 20 pool fixtures concluded
- Karachi Region Blues and Bahawalpur will face each other in Qualifier tournament’s final on Tuesday at 7pm
- Matches highlights are available here; Tournament scorecards and stats are available here; Action images are available here
Lahore, 23 February 2026: Bahawalpur Region and Rawalpindi Region secured victories against FATA Region and Hyderabad Region, respectively, as the pool fixtures in the ABS Developers present University of Lahore National T20 Cup Qualifier ended on Monday night here at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The 38-run win by Bahawalpur over FATA lifted them to the top of Pool B with six points from four matches and confirmed their qualification for the National T20 Cup 2026 along with Pool A toppers Karachi Region Blues. The two teams will also go head to head on Tuesday evening at the Gaddafi Stadium in the final of the tournament.
Hyderabad had an outside chance of qualifying as well had they hammered Rawalpindi with a net run rate boosting triumph to pip Bahawalpur but instead they copped a six-wicket loss. In Pool B, Rawalpindi, FATA and Hyderabad finished with four points each.
In a must-win fixture of both teams Bahawalpur’s left-arm spinner Mohammad Junaid ran through FATA’s batting line-up with a superb haul of five for 16 in four overs as they successfully defended the 135-run total. His match-winning spell also included a wicket-maiden as FATA were bowled out for 97 in 17 overs.
Winning the toss and opting to bat, Bahawalpur slipped to 33-3, which included Mohammad Sudais’s 13-ball 16 comprising of a six and a four. Ali Hamza Wasim (27, 26b, 4x4s) and no.5 batter Mohammad Faizan Zafar (26, 26b, 1x4, 1x6) then added vital 49 runs.
Skipper Muhammad Imran contributed a run-a-ball 11 hitting a solitary four. Player of the match Junaid also struck a brisk 25 off 16 balls, hitting three fours and one six after walking in to bat at 99-6.
For FATA, Khushdil Shah led the bowling effort with figures of 4-1-21-4, while pacer Khubaib Khalil also claimed three wickets for 23 runs.
In response, Bahawalpur’s Mohammad Azab aided Junaid’s efforts with the ball, picking up three for 24 in his four overs including the first scalp of the innings. For FATA, skipper Mohammad Sarwar Afridi top-scored with an effort of 21-ball 25 including two fours and one six after they had lost half their side for 63 runs.
In the second game of the day, Hyderabad posted 158-9 in 20 overs after being asked to bat first. No.6 batter Daniyal Hussain Rajput top-scored with a quick-fire 14-ball 31, laced with two fours and three sixes after arriving at the crease with 65-4 on the board.
Daniyal was aided by contributions from wicketkeeper-batter Akbar Khan (29, 21b, 5x4s) as the duo shared a 35-run partnership for the fifth wicket, taking their side’s total into three digits. Earlier, no.3 batter Zain-ul-Abidin (25, 23b, 3x4s), no.4 Mohammad Suleman (19, 23b, 1x4) and no.5 Rizwan Mehmood (16, 14b, 1x6) kept the scorecard ticking for Hyderabad.
Rawalpindi’s Kashif Ali returned figures of 4-0-27-3, while Jahandad Khan (4-0-21-2) and Mehran Mumtaz (4-0-32-2) shared four wickets.
In reply, Rawalpindi raced to the target in 16.5 overs with six wickets in hand, led by opening batter Yasir Khan’s unbeaten 74 off 49 balls, laced with three fours and six sixes.
No.3 batter Abdul Qadir contributed 36 off 24 including six fours and one six, while also sharing a 62-run partnership with Yasir.
Scores in brief:
Match 19: Bahawalpur Region beat FATA Region by 38 runs at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
Bahawalpur 135 all out, 20 overs (Ali Hamza Wasim 27, Mohammad Faizan Zafar 26, Mohammad Junaid 25; Khushdil Shah 4-21, Khubaib Khalil 3-23)
FATA 97 all out, 17 overs (Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 25; Mohammad Junaid 5-16, Mohammad Azab 3-24)
Player of the match: Mohammad Junaid (Bahawalpur Region)
Match 20: Rawalpindi Region beat Hyderabad Region by six wickets at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Hyderabad 158-9, 20 overs (Daniyal Hussain Rajput 31, Akbar Khan 29, Zain-ul-Abidin 25; Kashif Ali 3-27, Jahandad Khan 2-21, Mehran Mumtaz 2-32)
Rawalpindi 162-4, 16.5 overs (Yasir Khan 74 not out, Abdul Qadir 36, Mubasir Khan 22 not out)
Player of the match: Yasir Khan (Rawalpindi Region)
Final
Karachi Region Blues v Bahawalpur at 7pm PKT
