Countries Pakistan First tournament 2004–05 Headquarters Pakistan Founded 2005 | Format Twenty20 Next tournament 2015-16 Number of teams 18 (current) Administrator Pakistan Cricket Board | |
Tournament format Round-robin and knockout Most successful Sialkot Stallions (6 titles) Current champion Peshawar Panthers (2nd title) Teams Lahore Lions, Faisalabad Wolves, Sialkot Stallions, Rawalpindi Rams, Peshawar Panthers | ||
The National T20 League is a men's professional Twenty20 cricket league in Pakistan, established in 2005. It has 18 franchised member clubs and a member of the Pakistan Cricket Board, which is recognized by the ICC. Established in 2005, it is one of the world's oldest Twenty20 cricket leagues and was replaced by the Pakistan Super League in 2016, which currently features 5 city-based franchises from within Pakistan. The top 8 teams in the annual tournament qualify for the Super-8 T20 Cup tournament. The league's team offices are directed out of its head offices located at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
History
The Haier T20 League began in the 2004–05 season as the ABN-AMRO Twenty-20 League and quickly became the premier professional Twenty20 cricket league in Pakistan with 14 member clubs. It also became the first cricket league in the world outside of Australia and England. In the 2008-09 season, the league was renamed to the RBS Twenty-20 League and remained affiliated with the league until the 2009-10 season when it was renamed again to the Faysal Bank Twenty-20 League. In the 2014-15 season, the league was renamed to the Haier T20 Cup. The Haier T20 Cup was awarded annually to the league champion at the end of each season. Of the 10 played seasons, Sialkot Stallions have been the most dominant team winning the championship a total of 6 times. The 2014-15 season will also be the final season of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup and will be replaced by the Pakistan Super League.