President's Trophy Final 2026 Moves to Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore: SBP vs MIT Solutions, 27 to 31 October
The President's Trophy Grade-I final, SBP vs MIT Solutions, moves from Karachi to Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore, from 27 to 31 October 2026. See what changed and why.
The President's Trophy Grade-I 2026-27 final between State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and Markhor IT Solutions (MIT Solutions) will be played at the Bagh-e-Jinnah Cricket Ground in Lahore from 27 to 31 October 2026, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on 24 October. That replaces the plan the board gave two days earlier, a final from 25 to 29 October at the SBP Sports Complex in Karachi.
So the final has changed city and moved back two days. If you planned to watch in Karachi on Sunday, there is no match there. Below is what changed, why the PCB picked Bagh-e-Jinnah, and the numbers both finalists bring.
The final now runs from 27 to 31 October at Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore
The President's Trophy Grade-I final is a five-day match from Tuesday 27 October to Saturday 31 October 2026 at Bagh-e-Jinnah Cricket Ground, Lahore. The PCB announced the venue on 24 October. It replaces the SBP Sports Complex in Karachi.
We read the PCB release on its website on 25 October 2026. It names the two finalists as Markhor IT Solutions and State Bank of Pakistan and calls the match "the five-day final". It does not give a start time, entry rules or a broadcast plan.
| Detail | PCB report, 22 October | PCB release, 24 October |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | SBP Sports Complex, Karachi | Bagh-e-Jinnah Cricket Ground, Lahore |
| Dates | 25 to 29 October | 27 to 31 October |
| Length | Five days | Five days |
| Teams | SBP v MIT Solutions | MIT Solutions v SBP |
The newer release is the one to follow. The PCB's own domestic series page still lists the tournament as running from 12 September to 28 October, which fits neither plan, so do not rely on that date.
First-class cricket returns to Bagh-e-Jinnah after 21 years
Bagh-e-Jinnah last hosted a first-class match in November 2005, when Pakistan A played an England XI from 6 to 8 November. The PCB says the ground has staged 148 first-class matches since 1923, including three Tests in the 1950s.
The ground sits inside the old Lawrence Gardens on the Mall in Lahore, now called Bagh-e-Jinnah. It is a club-style ground with trees on most sides, not a stadium with concrete stands. That matters if you go: expect grass banks and shade, not numbered seats.
The PCB release gives a fuller record of the venue:
- 148 first-class matches since 1923, three of them Tests.
- 32 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches.
- 21 men's List A matches.
- 16 competitive T20 matches.
The board says it wants to "revive red-ball cricket" at the ground. It already used Bagh-e-Jinnah for the four-day President's Trophy Grade-II Silver final from 20 to 23 October, which was not a first-class match. That final was won by University of Central Punjab, as we reported when UCP beat SASA Packaging in the Grade-II Silver final.
SBP finished top on 107 points and MIT Solutions second on 96
State Bank of Pakistan topped the seven-round league with 107 points, two wins and no defeats. Markhor IT Solutions were second on 96 with two wins and one defeat. Both teams qualified ahead of Kingsmen Academy and Ghani Glass on 89 points.
These figures come from the PCB points table that our desk read on 24 October 2026, before the venue change. The league stage is over, so they have not moved since.
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Bank of Pakistan | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 107 |
| Markhor IT Solutions | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 96 |
| Kingsmen Academy | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 89 |
| Ghani Glass | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 89 |
| KRL | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 83 |
SBP were the only side past 100 points and the only unbeaten team. MIT Solutions are in their first Grade-I season after winning promotion from Grade-II earlier this year, which makes the final a big step for a new side. The full table and the remaining fixtures are in our President's Trophy Grade-I fixtures and points table.
Mohammad Farooq and Hasan Raza are the batters to watch
MIT Solutions' Mohammad Farooq scored 703 league runs with 35 sixes at a strike rate of 111.41. SBP's Hasan Raza scored 698 runs with a best of 222. Both rank in the tournament's top four run-scorers on the PCB averages table.
The bowling is just as even. MIT's Mohammad Ismail took 28 wickets and Khalid Usman, a 41-year-old left-arm spinner, took 25 at an average of 15.84. For SBP, Sirajuddin took 23 and Shahid Aziz 21. Our desk read these figures on the PCB's tournament averages on 24 October 2026.
The season's top scorer, Mohammad Taha of PTV with 730 runs, will not play in the final. He has been picked for Pakistan instead, as covered in our report on the three new Test players.
What to do if you want to watch the final
The PCB has not said whether entry to Bagh-e-Jinnah is free or how spectators get in. Domestic first-class matches in Pakistan usually draw small crowds, but the board has published no rule for this final, so treat any claim about free entry as unconfirmed.
If you plan to go, these steps keep you on the right side of the change:
- Go to Lahore, not Karachi. The Karachi venue was dropped on 24 October.
- Plan for Tuesday 27 October as the first day, not Sunday 25 October.
- Check the PCB website or its match centre on the morning of day one for the start time, which has not been announced.
- Carry your CNIC, since city grounds often run a security check at the gate.
- Follow the live score on the PCB match centre if you cannot attend.
The match centre, where ball-by-ball scores for domestic games appear, is explained in our walkthrough on checking Pakistan domestic cricket scores.
Common questions
Where is the President's Trophy 2026 final being played?
At the Bagh-e-Jinnah Cricket Ground in Lahore, under the PCB release of 24 October 2026. It is no longer at the SBP Sports Complex in Karachi.
When does the President's Trophy Grade-I final start?
On Tuesday 27 October 2026, and it runs for five days to Saturday 31 October. The PCB has not given a daily start time.
Who is playing in the President's Trophy final?
State Bank of Pakistan, who topped the table on 107 points, and Markhor IT Solutions, who finished second on 96.
When was the last first-class match at Bagh-e-Jinnah?
From 6 to 8 November 2005, when Pakistan A played an England XI, according to the PCB.
How many Tests has Bagh-e-Jinnah hosted?
Three, all in the 1950s. The PCB counts 148 first-class matches at the ground since 1923.
What happens if the final is drawn?
The PCB has not published the rule for a drawn final. We will not guess it, and will add it once the board says.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read the PCB release of 24 October 2026 on the Bagh-e-Jinnah final on the PCB website on 25 October 2026, along with the PCB news list showing the 22 October report naming Karachi. The points table and player figures were read by our desk on the PCB site on 24 October. We could not confirm a start time, entry rules, broadcast plans or the rule for a drawn final, because the PCB has not published them.
About the author
Tax, Bills and Technology Writer
Ali Akhtar is a young and curious voice here at Pakistan Era. He is currently pursuing his A-Levels and has a growing interest in Pakistan’s changing industrial landscape and educational trends. Ali likes to write in a way that helps him explain and explore the world around him. His writing reflects the perspective of the new generation navigating the evolving trends of Pakistan where technology, youth innovation, and shifting opportunities are reshaping the country’s future.
