Arbab Niaz Stadium Peshawar: Match Tickets and Access

Arbab Niaz Stadium is Peshawar's main cricket ground, and since April 2025 its official name is the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium. Most people, and most search engines, still say Arbab Niaz. It is a match-day venue: you go in with a ticket for a fixture, not on a sightseeing visit, and ticket prices depend entirely on the event. For the one PSL match played here in March 2026, tickets ran from PKR 1,500 to PKR 6,000.

This guide covers the name change, what the 2026 tickets cost and how they were sold, where the ground is, and what to think about before you plan a trip around a match.

Is it Arbab Niaz Stadium or Imran Khan Cricket Stadium?

Both names refer to the same ground. It opened in November 1984 as Shahi Bagh Stadium, was renamed after the federal sports minister Arbab Niaz in 1987, and was renamed again in April 2025. Ticketing pages and match reports for recent fixtures use the new name, while locals, rickshaw drivers and older maps use the old one.

If you are asking for directions, "Arbab Niaz" is still the safer thing to say. If you are searching for tickets, search both names.

What has been played here

From 1984 to 2006 the ground hosted six Tests and 15 One Day Internationals. The last international match was Pakistan against India in February 2006. After that, security concerns kept international cricket away for many years.

Reconstruction began in 2018, with plans for more seating, floodlights and better facilities. The project ran late and over budget, with a final cost of about PKR 2 billion. The renovated ground saw an exhibition match between KP Zalmi and KP Panthers in June 2025, and then its first PSL fixture: Peshawar Zalmi against Islamabad United on 28 March 2026.

That is worth knowing before you plan around it. The ground has only just returned to top-level cricket, so the calendar of matches is thin and can change.

How much do tickets cost?

For the PSL 11 match at Peshawar, the Pakistan Cricket Board published these prices in March 2026:

These are 2026 PSL figures, and prices change from one event to the next. A domestic match or a different tournament will not follow the same list, and many domestic games have little or no ticketing at all. Treat the table as a guide to the scale of cost, not a quote.

Families going with women and children should look at the Family Box enclosure when choosing, and confirm its rules with the seller.

How to buy tickets

For PSL 11, tickets were sold online through the tournament's official ticketing partner, a private courier company, with the PCB announcing the sale in the days before the season. Who sells tickets, and where, changes with each tournament.

What we would do:

1. Wait for the PCB or the franchise to announce the fixture and ticket sale, and buy only from the channels they name.
2. Ignore resellers on social media. Tickets for popular matches attract scams.
3. Read the entry rules for your enclosure before match day, including what you may carry in.
4. Carry your CNIC, as security screening at major matches is thorough.

Where is the stadium and how do you get there?

The ground sits in the Shahi Bagh and Faqirabad area of Peshawar, beside the old Mughal garden that gave the first stadium its name. Our Shahi Bagh guide covers the garden next door.

We have no verified journey time from the cantonment or the hotel areas, so ask your hotel. On match days, expect diversions and restricted parking around any major ground, so plan to be dropped a short walk away and leave well before the first ball.

Match-day tips

• Weather. Afternoon matches in March and April can be warm, and Peshawar is much hotter from May to September. Our Peshawar timing guide covers the seasons.
• Timing. Evening matches finish late. Plan how you will get back to your hotel afterwards.
• Phones and money. Carry a charged phone and some small cash.
• Family visits. Choose the family enclosure and agree in advance where to meet if anyone gets separated.

Is it safe to attend a match in Peshawar?

Peshawar has had serious security problems, and 2026 has been no exception: in September a suicide attack hit the Kohat Police Lines, and other attacks have hit KP police this year. The UK government advises against all travel to Peshawar, and travel insurance for foreign visitors can be void where such advice applies. Pakistani cricket fans do travel to Peshawar for matches, and a major fixture brings heavy police and army deployment around the ground.

Check local news and current police advice before you set out, keep your plans flexible, and avoid crowds outside the security cordon after the match. Our Peshawar safety guide has more detail.

Is it worth planning a trip around a match?

If you already live in KP or are visiting Peshawar anyway, yes, and an evening at the ground is a good way to see the city's cricket culture. If you are travelling a long way just for a fixture, be careful: matches have been few, dates move, and the ticket list above applies only to one event.

A sensible plan is to build a day around the ground: the garden next door in the morning, old Peshawar's bazaars or the museum in the afternoon, and the match in the evening. For everything else worth seeing, see our page on experiences in Pakistan and the places to visit in Peshawar.

Frequently asked questions