The Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed that the opening match and the final of the 2026 Pakistan Super League will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium. The 11th edition of the league will run from March 26 to May 3 and will feature eight teams for the first time in the tournament’s history.
The final will once again take place in Lahore. It will be the fourth time in the last five years that the stadium hosts the PSL final.
Eight teams and 44 matches this season
The 2026 season will include a total of 44 matches played across six cities in Pakistan. Along with the regular venues of Karachi, Rawalpindi and Multan, two new cities have been added to the schedule.
Faisalabad and Peshawar will host PSL matches for the first time. Faisalabad will stage seven games during the tournament.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan Cricket Stadium will host a match on March 28 between Peshawar Zalmi and Rawalpindi PindiZ.
New format introduced for expanded league
The addition of two new teams has also changed the tournament format. In earlier seasons, every team played each other twice during the league stage.
In the new format, each team will play ten matches. They will face three teams twice and the remaining four teams once. Some of the biggest rivalries will still take place twice during the season.
One of the most popular contests in the league between Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars will be played twice, both at Gaddafi Stadium.
Lahore and Rawalpindi to host most matches
Lahore will host the most matches in the tournament, with 15. The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will host 11 matches, making it the second busiest venue of the season.
The Rawalpindi venue will also serve as the home ground for two teams from the Islamabad and Rawalpindi regions. The local derby matches between the sides will take place on April 4 and April 23.
Although six cities will host matches, most games will be played in Lahore and Rawalpindi. Together, the two cities will stage 26 of the 44 matches in the tournament.
The playoffs will mostly take place in Lahore, with only the first qualifier scheduled in Rawalpindi. The final will be played on May 3, with May 4 kept as a reserve day.
Lahore Qalandars enter the tournament as the defending champions, having won three of the last four PSL titles.
