Islamabad Cricket Stadium Design Revealed: 35,000 Seats Near D-12

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has shown the official design of Islamabad's new cricket stadium, giving people their first look at a ground that officials say will be the biggest cricket venue in Pakistan. The stadium will have room for 35,000 spectators and will be built near Sector D-12, at the foot of the Margalla Hills. Construction is expected to start soon, as the CDA is now only waiting for the interior minister to approve the groundbreaking ceremony.

If the plan stays on track, the federal capital will finally get its own international cricket stadium. At the moment, fans in Islamabad have to go to Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, which is still the only ground in the twin cities that can host international matches.

What the New Stadium Will Look Like

The pictures released with the design show a round, modern stadium with three tiers of seats. Part of the seating is covered by a roof, and the stands open up to views of the green Margalla Hills. The outside of the building is mostly glass. The plan also shows wide entrance gates, walkways with trees and plants, parking areas and new roads leading to the ground.

A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official told Dawn that the stadium will look like the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Many Pakistani fans know that ground well, because Pakistan played a large number of its home matches in the UAE for years. The CDA and PCB have wanted to follow the Dubai model since talks on this project began.

The seating number has changed a few times as the plan moved forward. Reports in early 2025 spoke of more than 50,000 seats. In January 2026 the figure was about 32,000. The final design now has 35,000 seats.

Cost and Who Will Build It

The CDA has completed the bidding process. A joint venture called Habib-ZKB-EA won with a bid of Rs. 8.9 billion. That is about Rs. 3 billion less than the Rs. 11.9 billion estimate in the project's PC-I, the main government planning document for the project.

Out of the Rs. 8.9 billion, Rs. 5.8 billion will go to the stadium building with its three tiers. The remaining Rs. 3.1 billion is for work outside the stadium. This includes around three kilometres of six-lane roads and other services needed around the site.

Two joint ventures had competed for the contract. The CDA liked the Habib-ZKB-EA design more and asked both groups to send extra designs and new price offers by July 2. Only Habib-ZKB-EA did so, and it said its first price would stay the same. The CDA then opened its financial bid in July. The same company recently worked on the Gaddafi Stadium upgrade in Lahore as a contractor for the Frontier Works Organisation.

The timeline is tight. According to officials, the first phase should be finished within one year of work starting.

Hopes for the 2028 Women's T20 World Cup

There is a clear reason behind the hurry. Pakistan will host the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2028, the first major ICC women's tournament ever held in the country. The ICC first gave Pakistan the hosting rights in December 2024, and its board confirmed the plan again at a meeting in Ahmedabad in June 2026. Under the current arrangement between the two countries, India's matches will be played at a neutral venue.

The PCB official said some World Cup matches could be played in Islamabad if the stadium is ready in time. This is not confirmed. It depends fully on how quickly the stadium is built, and no final list of tournament venues has been shared with the public so far.

The Zone III Question

One issue could still slow things down. The site is in Zone III of Islamabad, the area around the Margalla Hills where building is generally not allowed. The CDA says the rules do permit sports and recreational facilities in this zone, so it believes the stadium can go ahead.

In January 2026, the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board asked the CDA for the exact location and layout of the stadium. The board wanted to check whether the site falls inside the Margalla Hills National Park or its 100-metre buffer zone. Under the Islamabad Nature Conservation and Wildlife Management Act 2024, no building work is allowed in that buffer zone without a no-objection certificate from the board. At that time the board said it had no objection to the stadium itself and was only waiting for details. It has not been made public whether that review is now complete.

This is also not Islamabad's first try at getting a cricket stadium. An earlier plan to build one at Shakarparian was stopped after the Supreme Court stepped in. Some reports in 2025 also mentioned F-9 Park as a possible site, but the D-12 location was finally chosen.

What Happens Next

The CDA has already started building an approach road from Margalla Road near D-12 to the stadium site, so that guests can reach the ground for the groundbreaking ceremony. CDA officials say almost all arrangements are ready. They are now waiting for a green signal from Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the PCB.

Earlier reports said the stadium will stand on about 50 acres inside a planned 175-acre Olympic Village, with parking for around 10,000 cars about one kilometre away. A hotel for visiting teams has also been mentioned in past plans, but it is not clear whether it is part of the current contract.

For people in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the new stadium could bring international cricket closer to home. Officials have also said that a stadium away from the city centre could reduce traffic jams on match days. For Pakistan cricket, it would add one more modern venue at a time when the country is working to bring more big tournaments and foreign teams back home.