The Board of Control and tournament organizers have announced a significant change of plans for the domestic cricket calendar in Pakistan, moving the location of the highly anticipated President’s Trophy final away from Karachi and redirecting it to the historic city of Lahore. The championship match, which brings together two competitive sides at the culmination of a grueling first-class season, will now be hosted at the venerated Bagh-e-Jinnah Park. In addition to the shift in venue, the schedule for the fixture has also been slightly adjusted, pushing the commencement of the five-day contest back by two days to give both teams adequate preparation time for the altered surroundings.
According to a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official who spoke on the condition of background details, the decision to relocate the final was not driven by specific logistical hurdles or cricketing complications in Karachi. Instead, the move was orchestrated to honor and celebrate the ground’s rich heritage and its deep historical connection to first-class cricket in the region. The Pakistan Cricket Board had initially scheduled the final to take place in Karachi at the SBP Sports Complex, setting up what promised to be a fascinating battle between the State Bank of Pakistan and Markhor IT Solutions. However, the allure of returning top-tier domestic action to one of the country’s oldest and most storied venues ultimately tipped the scales in favor of Lahore.
Under the revised schedule, the five-day championship match will now commence on October 27, departing from the original plan which had marked October 25 as the opening day. This brief extension provides the finalists with a manageable window to travel, adapt to local pitch and weather conditions, and settle into the rhythms of a venue that has stood as a silent witness to decades of sporting evolution.
Bagh-e-Jinnah, which was historically known during the colonial era as Lawrence Gardens, is an established pre-Independence-era cricket ground nestled right at the bustling heart of Lahore. Its legacy within the sport is profound, having served as a premier international venue during the formative years of Pakistan’s cricketing history. Most notably, the ground has hosted three official Test matches. The first two of those historic encounters took place in 1955, while the third and final Test match played at the venue occurred in 1959. Interestingly, 1959 was also a watershed year for Lahore’s cricketing infrastructure, as the city’s Gaddafi Stadium hosted its inaugural Test match and was subsequently designated as the official headquarters of the Pakistan Cricket Board, shifting the epicenter of the country’s major international fixtures away from the park.
Despite its storied past at the international level, contemporary cricket fans may find it surprising that Bagh-e-Jinnah has not hosted a single first-class cricket match in nearly two decades. The last time the venue saw red-ball action at the first-class level was back in November 2005. Yet, when examining the broader statistical tapestry of the venue, its historical significance becomes even more apparent. Since 1923, Bagh-e-Jinnah has hosted a total of 148 first-class matches, serving as a vital hub for regional and provincial competition. Furthermore, its pedigree extends well into the pre-Partition era of Indian cricket, having successfully staged three matches in the prestigious Ranji Trophy during the years 1934, 1942, and 1945.
The journey to this final has been hard-fought for both participating teams, who navigated a competitive eight-team President’s Trophy table to secure their places in the title round. The State Bank of Pakistan and Markhor IT Solutions earned their berths at the summit of the standings after finishing at the top of the table, each managing to accumulate two crucial wins across a demanding seven-match round-robin campaign.
While the State Bank of Pakistan side is widely recognized as a regular and formidable fixture in the upper echelons of the tournament, the current season represents uncharted and historic territory for Markhor IT Solutions. This campaign marks MITS’ maiden appearance in the top-tier competition, a testament to their rapid rise through the domestic ranks. They secured their much-coveted promotion to the premier tournament after capturing the President’s Trophy Grade-II gold competition in the preceding season, translating that lower-tier success into an impressive and competitive showing among the country’s elite corporate and departmental teams.
As players and officials prepare to transition from the coastal environment of Karachi to the autumnal charm of Lahore’s Bagh-e-Jinnah Park, anticipation continues to build around a fixture that bridges generations of Pakistani cricket history. By breathing new life into a ground that has slumbered away from the first-class spotlight for nearly twenty years, the upcoming President’s Trophy final promises to deliver not only a high-stakes contest between two determined finalists, but also a poignant tribute to the enduring heritage of the sport in the country.
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