CDA, PCB Push Ahead with Dubai-Style Cricket Stadium Near Margalla Hills

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is edging closer to finalizing the contractor for the much-anticipated cricket stadium project planned near the Margalla Hills, with financial bid openings anticipated soon.

Sources indicate that the authority has received updated designs and additional financial submissions from the two firms still in contention. Once the technical evaluation wraps up, these supplementary bids will be posted on the PPRA’s E-PAD platform, followed roughly a week later by the opening of the financial bids.

The venue itself is slated for construction near Sector D-12, right at the base of the Margalla Hills. Current plans call for a capacity of about 32,000 seats, plus a parking facility able to accommodate 10,000 vehicles, situated roughly a kilometer away from the stadium.

Structured as an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) project, the contract — worth Rs. 11.4 billion — has drawn competition between two joint ventures: Habib Construction paired with ZKB-EA, and Lemar Builders alongside BK Consultants Pvt Ltd.

Both the CDA and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are looking to model the new venue after Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The stadium itself will occupy roughly 50 acres within the larger 175-acre site earmarked for the proposed Olympic Village.

Officials note that the project remains on track, with groundbreaking expected once the contract is finalized and the bidding process concludes.