Join a Free Sports Board Punjab Cricket Academy: 11 Centres, Timings and Trials

Sports Board Punjab runs 11 free cricket coaching academies in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Sialkot, Sheikhupura and Attock. To join one, download the registration form from the Board's website, submit it at the academy you want, and play a trial in front of its coaches. Training is free, and the academies provide basic equipment.

We read the Board's cricket academies page and the page for each of the 11 centres on 2 October 2026. Together they list the address, training days, hours and number of coaches at every academy. Four of the 11 are inside boys' schools and three are at women's colleges, so girls have a real option here, not just a footnote.

The Board says more than 1,500 trainees train with 27 qualified coaches. Former Test cricketers also run grooming workshops. The academies were set up under an agreement between the Board and former Test batsman Zaheer Abbas, and his office at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore is the contact point.

All 11 Sports Board Punjab cricket academies and their timings

Lahore has four academies, Rawalpindi three, and Multan, Sialkot, Sheikhupura and Attock one each. Most train for three hours in the afternoon, five days a week. Check the days carefully, because some academies close on Monday and Tuesday instead of the weekend.

Each academy page names two to four coaches. Most hold Level I or Level II coaching certificates from the National Cricket Academy, and one Rawalpindi coach is a former Test cricketer. Batches are 50 to 150 trainees depending on the centre, with the Lahore boys' schools and Multan the largest.

How to join a cricket academy step by step

Joining takes a form and a trial. You download the registration form, fill it in, take it to the academy you want with two passport-size pictures, and play a selection trial. The coaches decide who gets a place.

1. Pick the academy. Choose one you can reach on its training days. A 1 pm start suits a college student better than a school child.
2. Download the form. It is on the Board's cricket coaching academies page. The form has a box for two passport-size pictures.
3. Fill it in and attach the pictures. Bring a copy of the player's B-Form or CNIC in case the academy asks.
4. Submit the form at the academy. Go during training hours, when the coaches are there.
5. Play the trial. Come in whites or plain sports kit with your own shoes. Bring a bat and gloves if you have them.
6. Wait for the coaches' decision. Ask when and how selected players are told, and when training starts.

Training is free, but call before you travel

The Board's page says training at these academies is free of cost and that basic equipment is provided. We found no fee anywhere on the 11 academy pages. Still, the pages were written when the academies opened between 2016 and 2018, and they show no recent update.

That matters for timings and coaches. A coach may have moved, or a school may have changed its hours. So call the academies office before your first visit. It is the Office of Zaheer Abbas at the National Hockey Stadium, Ferozepur Road, Lahore, on 042 99232530. The Board's toll free helpline, 0800 80001, takes general questions.

The page does not give an age range or a fixed intake month. Ask the office both questions on the call, so you know whether your child fits and whether trials are running that month.

Other routes into cricket coaching in Punjab

If no academy is near you, Sports Board Punjab's summer camps are the next option. The 2025 camp taught cricket in Lahore for Rs 2,500 and in Multan for free, for boys and girls aged 5 to 19. Registration ran from 1 to 15 June 2025.

The Board has not posted a 2026 or 2027 camp page yet, so the next dates are not known. Watch for June, if the pattern holds. In the 2025 camp, Lahore offered 13 sports and every division offered at least six.

A local club is the other path. Clubs registered with their Tehsil Sports Officer can play matches free at Board grounds, and you can register a sports club in Punjab through that officer. For a club that needs a turf or ground for a tournament, the Board's rates and booking rules show how to book a ground at Nishtar Park.

Older players who are good enough to aim for a university team have one more door. Punjab University keeps 2% of its morning seats for sports, and a strong academy record helps you get a sports quota seat at Punjab University.

What to bring to the trial and the first session

The Board does not publish a kit list for its academies. Plain sports clothing, proper shoes and water are the safe minimum. Basic equipment is provided, but serious players usually bring their own bat, gloves and pads.

• White or light sports clothes and a cap.
• Cricket shoes or sturdy trainers.
• A water bottle, especially for the afternoon sessions.
• Your own bat, gloves and pads if you have them.
• A copy of the registration form and the player's B-Form or CNIC.

Parents of girls should note the three women's college academies: Kinnaird College and Lahore College for Women University in Lahore, and Viqar-un-Nisa College in Rawalpindi. Ask whether girls from outside the college can join, because the pages do not say.

Common questions

Is the Sports Board Punjab cricket academy free?

Yes. The Board's page says training is free of cost and basic equipment is provided. No fee appears on any academy page.

How do I get selected?

Submit the registration form at the academy, then play a trial. The academy's coaches choose the trainees.

Is there an academy for girls?

Yes. Kinnaird College and Lahore College for Women University in Lahore, and Viqar-un-Nisa College in Rawalpindi, host academies.

What is the age limit?

The Board's page does not state one. Ask the academies office on 042 99232530 before you apply.

Is this the same as a PCB academy?

No. These academies belong to Sports Board Punjab, the provincial body, not the Pakistan Cricket Board. The coaches hold National Cricket Academy certificates.

Are the academy timings still correct?

They are as listed on the Board's website on 2 October 2026, but the pages are several years old. Call before your first visit.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 2 October 2026. We read the Sports Board Punjab cricket coaching academies page and all 11 academy pages linked from it, which give each centre's address, days, hours, coaches and batch size. The summer camp details come from the Board's Summer Camp 2025 page, and the club and ground rules from its club registration page and its 2024 facility rate notification. The academy pages carry their opening dates from 2016 to 2018 and no later update, so we could not confirm the current timings, coaches, age limits or intake dates. Confirm them with the academies office before you go.