Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in partnership with The Royal Bank of Scotland Limited (RBS) has announced the schedule of RBS Twenty-20 tournament for season 2009-10 commencing from 28 February to 7 March 2010 in Karachi. The tournament is a continuation of RBS's commitment to domestic cricket and its development for third year consecutively. The schedule of RBS 20:20 tournament was announced at a press conference at National Stadium Karachi, which was attended by the senior management of RBS and Pakistan Cricket Board.

The RBS 20:20 tournament is the most popular of the 4 domestic tournaments in the country. A total of thirteen regional teams from all leading cities in Pakistan divided into four groups will participate in this tournament. A total of 18 Matches will be played at National Stadium Karachi and the entire tournament will be telecasted live on Geo Super. All leading national players will be representing their respective regional teams. In addition to action packed cricketing entertainment, this year's RBS Twenty-20 tournament will help prepare the national team for the upcoming ICC T- 20 World Cup, 2010 to be held in West Indies in May 2010.

In his message on the occasion Mr. Wasim Bari COO PCB said: We are very pleased to continue PCB's strong partnership with RBS for the promotion of our domestic game. RBS's commitment towards sports sponsorship will go a long way in promoting the domestic game. We look forward to further strengthening the domestic game in line with our vision of providing opportunities at the grass root level.

Commenting on the occasion Mr. Wazir Ali Khoja, Member PCB Governing Board said: We are delighted to once again welcome RBS as lead sponsors of the tournament and are very optimistic that this tournament would be a great success. RBS has been actively supporting domestic cricket in Pakistan. We plan to further boost the revival of domestic cricket in the country on more developed patterns and in line with international standards.

Mr. Salman Sarwar Butt, Head of Retail Banking, RBS Pakistan stated: Domestic Cricket has come a long way. Today, RBS Twenty-20 tournament has become synonymous with show-stopping cricketing action. We are sure this year's tournament will motivate the teams to exhibit their cricketing skills to the maximum to qualify for playing against international teams in the T- 20 World Cup.

The teams have been divided into 4 groups with group winners qualifying for the semi-finals.

Group A consists of Peshawar Panthers, Multan Tigers, Lahore Lions and Quetta Bears.

Group B has Sialkot Stallions, Rawalpindi Rams, and Karachi Zebras.

Group C is made up of Faisalabad Wolves, Islamabad Leopards, and Abbotabad Rhinos.

Group D has Karachi Dolphins, Lahore Eagles, and Hyderabad Hawks.

Press Enquiries:

Ali Abuzer Zaidi
Tel: +92 21 111 11 22 33 Ext: 2428
Email: Ali.abuzer.zaidi@rbs.com

Notes for Editor:

The RBS group is a large international banking and financial services company. Headquartered in Edinburgh, the Group operates in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Americas and Asia, serving more than 40 million customers. The Group provides a wide range of products and services to personal, commercial and large corporate and institutional customers through its two principal subsidiaries, The Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest, as well as through a number of other well known brands including, Citizens, Ulster Bank, Coutts, Direct Line and Churchill.