Nine departmental sides to contest Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced its domestic calendar for the upcoming season, with nine departmental sides joining the existing 13 regional teams in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

The trophy, the country's premier domestic event, will run from October 10 to December 24. It will be split into two groups, with the last two teams in each being relegated to the Patron's Trophy's second division for the next season.

The 2009-10 season began with the Regional Inter-District Under-19 tournament, which will end on October 18.

The Pentangular Cup will be played from January 1 to February 4 of next year, with the top two teams from each of the QEA Trophy - two departmental and two regional teams - and one team from Rest of Pakistan participating. The PCB's national selectors will pick the Rest of Pakistan side.

Moving on, the one-day competition, the RBS Cup, will be held from February 10-23. It will comprise 22 teams divided into four groups. The RBS Twenty20 Cup, involving 13 regional teams, will be held from March 20-24.