Pakistan's accelerated upgrade of its leading cricket grounds achieved its immediate objective when Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi staged matches during the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. But the infrastructure programme did not end when the tournament finished.
The International Cricket Council later congratulated the Pakistan Cricket Board for successfully hosting the event, specifically acknowledging the work involved in renovating stadiums, preparing playing surfaces, delivering matches and hosting teams and visitors.
More than a year later, PCB is continuing to invest in cricket infrastructure. National Bank Stadium in Karachi has moved into another development phase, while the board has approved billions of rupees for stadium and other infrastructure projects across the country.
The timeline shows how a renovation programme initially driven by the Champions Trophy deadline has developed into a longer-term infrastructure effort.
The stadium programme began with a tight Champions Trophy deadline
PCB's plans for the three main venues were taking shape in 2024 as the board prepared Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, National Bank Stadium in Karachi and Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium for the Champions Trophy.
In July 2024, the PCB Board of Governors approved a Rs12.8 billion development budget for the upgradation of the three stadiums.
The scale of work was not identical at every venue. Lahore underwent major redevelopment, Karachi received substantial new facilities and Rawalpindi's later work was described by PCB as involving more limited improvements.
Gaddafi Stadium underwent the biggest transformation
By October 2024, PCB was carrying out a major redevelopment of Gaddafi Stadium.
During a PCB media walk-through in October, the board said spectator enclosures were being moved around 20 feet closer to the field, imported seating was being introduced and new replay screens and LED floodlighting formed part of the project.
PCB expected the redesign to increase spectator capacity from 21,500 to more than 34,000. Director of Infrastructure Qazi Jawwad Ahmad said around-the-clock work had given the board confidence that it could meet a December 31 deadline.
By January 8, PCB said the stadium projects were progressing on schedule. At Gaddafi Stadium, capacity had increased to 35,000 and 480 LED lights had been installed. The board said the new players' and officials' hospitality enclosure was expected to become operational by January 25.
Lahore was tested before the Champions Trophy
On February 6, PCB announced the transformation of Gaddafi Stadium after 117 days of work.
The timing was close to the Champions Trophy, which began on February 19, but the venue was used for international cricket before the ICC tournament.
Gaddafi Stadium hosted Pakistan against New Zealand on February 8 and New Zealand against South Africa on February 10 in the tri-nation ODI series. The series was deliberately staged across the upgraded Lahore and Karachi venues before the Champions Trophy.
Those matches gave PCB an opportunity to operate the redesigned stadium under international match conditions before the global tournament began.
Karachi's major upgrade was completed days before the tournament
National Bank Stadium also underwent substantial work before the Champions Trophy.
PCB built a new pavilion at the University Road End containing dressing rooms for players and match officials as well as hospitality facilities. The board said the pavilion was developed in around four months.
Other improvements included 350 LED lights, two digital replay screens and more than 5,000 new chairs. PCB unveiled the new-look stadium on February 11, eight days before the Champions Trophy began.
Karachi then staged Pakistan's tri-series match against South Africa on February 12 and the final on February 14, giving the upgraded venue international use immediately before the ICC event.
Rawalpindi's work was more limited
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium formed part of the same Champions Trophy venue programme, but PCB's own updates show that its work was on a different scale from the redevelopment in Lahore and Karachi.
In its January 8 stadium update, PCB described the Rawalpindi work as minor touch-ups. The programme included 10,000 new chairs, upgrades to hospitality boxes and two digital replay screens.
The distinction is important when assessing the overall programme. PCB upgraded three Champions Trophy venues, but the scale and nature of the work differed between them.
The real test came when the Champions Trophy began
The ICC Champions Trophy ran from February 19 to March 9, 2025. Matches were staged in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi in Pakistan, while Dubai in the United Arab Emirates served as the fourth venue.
India played all of its matches in Dubai. The three Pakistani stadiums, meanwhile, staged group matches, with Gaddafi Stadium also hosting the second semi-final.
After the tournament, the ICC publicly thanked PCB for successfully hosting the event.
Then ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice specifically acknowledged those involved in renovating stadiums, preparing playing surfaces, delivering matches and hosting teams and visitors.
The assessment provides an important endpoint to the pre-tournament construction timeline: despite work continuing close to the competition, the upgraded Pakistani venues went on to stage their allocated Champions Trophy matches.
The Champions Trophy was not the end of the upgrade programme
By January 2026, PCB was presenting the previous year's stadium work as part of a wider infrastructure programme rather than a one-off Champions Trophy project.
In its review of stadium development during 2025, the board said National Bank Stadium had undergone significant improvements and confirmed that a second construction phase had been approved to further develop the venue's facilities and appearance.
The programme subsequently moved into procurement. Federal public procurement records identify a tender titled "Upgradation of National Bank Stadium Karachi (Phase-II)". The tender was advertised on April 29, 2026 and closed on May 8.
A technical evaluation published on June 4 recorded three bids received for the Phase II project.
The procurement record gives the Karachi development a clear 2026 timeline beyond the work completed for the Champions Trophy.
PCB has approved further infrastructure spending
The longer-term programme also carries a substantial financial commitment.
At its Board of Governors meeting on June 29, 2026, PCB approved an allocation of Rs6.70 billion for the upgradation of National Bank Stadium and other cricket infrastructure projects across Pakistan.
The Rs6.70 billion should not be read as a budget exclusively for National Bank Stadium. PCB's announcement covers the Karachi venue together with other cricket infrastructure projects across the country.
The board has also outlined a wider infrastructure roadmap that includes plans to develop Muzaffarabad as an international cricket centre and construct a new cricket stadium in Islamabad.
What changed after the Champions Trophy?
The original renovation effort was driven by a fixed international deadline. Pakistan needed upgraded venues as it prepared to stage its first global multi-team ICC cricket event at home since 1996.
That accelerated programme focused on areas including player and official facilities, broadcast lighting, replay screens, seating, hospitality and the spectator experience.
The situation in 2026 is different. The Champions Trophy has been staged, the renovated venues have already been used for the tournament and the ICC has publicly recognised Pakistan's hosting effort.
Karachi's Phase II therefore represents another stage in the development of the venue rather than an unresolved question about its readiness for the 2025 tournament.
The stadium programme has moved beyond one tournament
The Champions Trophy imposed an unusually tight timetable on PCB's stadium programme. Gaddafi Stadium's transformation was completed in early February 2025, while Karachi's new pavilion was unveiled only days before the tournament.
But the infrastructure story did not end with those deadlines. Lahore and Karachi were tested through international matches before the competition, all three Pakistani venues staged Champions Trophy cricket and further investment has continued into 2026.
National Bank Stadium's Phase II procurement and PCB's wider infrastructure allocation now shift the focus from whether Pakistan could prepare its venues for one global event to how those facilities will continue to develop after it.
