As the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) prepares to host the Champions Trophy 2025 in February, Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has approved major upgrades for the stadiums in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi.
Naqvi gave the green light during a visit to BDP Pattern’s London headquarters, where he met with Chairman Chris Harding and other top officials. This comes shortly after renovation work began at Karachi’s National Stadium, which, along with Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and Rawalpindi International Cricket Stadium, will host the tournament.
The PCB has set aside Rs12.80 billion for these renovations, aiming to have the venues ready before the tournament, scheduled from February 19 to March 9, 2025.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has allocated around $70 million for the event, covering costs for the support period from February 12 to 18. This period will feature warm-up matches, media activities, and promotional events, with details to be finalized between the ICC and PCB. Teams will be allowed up to two warm-up matches in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi.
During his visit to BDP Pattern, Naqvi was briefed on the upgrade plans and expressed satisfaction with the designs. He highlighted that this is the first time the stadiums will be updated to accommodate such a large number of fans. Naqvi is personally overseeing the project to ensure everything is completed on time.
BDP Pattern, a UK-based firm with a history of designing over 200 international-standard stadiums and winning more than 1,000 design awards, is leading the renovation effort.