Metrobus Suspended in Twin Cities for Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Series

Metrobus passengers in Rawalpindi and Islamabad should get ready for some trouble this month. The service between Saddar and Pak Secretariat will be stopped whenever the Pakistan and Sri Lanka cricket teams are being moved through the city. Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will host a three-match T20I series between the two sides on October 9, 11 and 13.

Three stations, Khatm-e-Nabuwwat, IJP Road and Sixth Road, will also stay closed while matches are being played. According to Metrobus sources, the district administration ordered these steps for security reasons.

What Commuters Need to Know

The restriction period runs from October 4 to November 13. This does not mean the buses will stop for six weeks. Services will be halted only at certain times, mainly when team buses are on the road and during match hours. Outside those times, the Metrobus is expected to run as usual.

So far, no exact timings for the closures have been announced. No alternative transport plan has been shared either. Fixture listings show all three T20Is as night matches, so the station closures on match days will fall in the evening.

The affected route is the Red Line, the oldest and busiest part of the twin cities' Metrobus network. It opened on June 4, 2015, runs about 22.5 km and has 24 stations. The Punjab Mass Transit Authority says the line once carried 151,000 passengers in a single day. Students, office workers and shopkeepers who use it daily should leave early on October 9, 11 and 13, keep a backup option such as a wagon, rickshaw or ride-hailing car, and follow official Metrobus announcements before setting off.

This is not the first time cricket has shut parts of the line. In November 2025, during the T20 tri-series with Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, the Rehmanabad, Khatm-e-Nabuwwat and Faizabad stations were closed during match hours on the orders of the district administration. The Metrobus has also been suspended many times in the past for political rallies and protests in the capital.

Sri Lanka's First Group Arrives

Sri Lanka's first group has already landed in Islamabad. It has 13 members: eight players and five management officials. Captain Kusal Mendis, all-rounder Dasun Shanaka, spinner Maheesh Theekshana and fast bowler Eshan Malinga are among those who have arrived. The remaining players and officials will reach Pakistan in separate groups before the first match.

Sri Lanka Cricket named a 15-member squad on October 2. Mendis is back as captain after missing the recent England tour with a hamstring injury. Sri Lanka lost that T20I series 3-0. Former white-ball captain Charith Asalanka has been left out, while fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera was picked subject to fitness. Three squad members, Sahan Arachchige, Sineth Jayawardena and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, were playing for Sri Lanka at the Asian Games, where they had a bronze medal match against Bangladesh on October 3.

For fans, the Pakistan Cricket Board has kept ticket prices low. Online sales opened on October 3, and printed tickets are available at TCS Express Centres from October 5. A general enclosure ticket costs Rs300 for the first two matches and Rs200 for the third. VIP tickets cost Rs1,000 for the first two games and Rs800 for the last one.

A Long Cricket Season for Rawalpindi

The T20Is are only the start of a long tour. That is why the Metrobus restriction period stretches all the way to November 13. After the T20Is, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England will play an ODI tri-series in Rawalpindi and Lahore, with Rawalpindi hosting the opening match on October 18. Online tickets for the tri-series go on sale on October 10.

The first Test in Rawalpindi ends on November 13, the same day the Metrobus restrictions are due to end. The second Test moves to Lahore, so Rawalpindi commuters should not be affected by it.

Sri Lanka have become regular visitors to Pakistan in recent years. Last November they played three ODIs in Rawalpindi, which Pakistan won 3-0, followed by the T20 tri-series. Each visit brings international cricket home for fans, but it also brings heavy security and road closures for people living around the stadium. Until officials share exact timings, commuters in the twin cities will need to check for updates before every match day.