Gaddafi Stadium (GSL) is a cricket stadium located in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, Pakistan established in 1959. It was previously known as Lahore Stadium but later on March 19, 1972 the stadium was renamed as Gaddafi Stadium Lahore in honor of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi by the then president of Pakistan Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Gaddafi Stadium Lahore is currently the largest cricket stadium in Pakistan with a capacity of more than 34000 spectators.
The headquarters of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is also situated at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore which makes it the home of the national cricket team of Pakistan. Gaddafi Cricket Stadium (GSL) is also the home ground of the PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League.
| Known As | Gaddafi Stadium Lahore (GSL) |
| Established | 1959 |
| Capacity | 34000 |
| Floodlights/LED Lights | Yes |
| End Name | Pavilion End Forman Christian College End |
| Owner | Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) |
| Time Zone | UTC +05:00 |
| Location | Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan |
Also Read: Lahore Qalandars Complete Squad for PSL 10 2025
Cricketing History of Gaddafi Stadium Lahore (GSL)
The Gaddafi Stadium Lahore has hosted a number of International (Tests, One Day Internationals and T20Is), Pakistan Super League (PSL) and domestic matches of both men’s and women cricket since it establishes.
- GSL hosted first Test match on 21st November 1959 between Pakistan and Australia.
- GSL hosted first One Day International match on 13th January 1978 between Pakistan and England.
- GSL hosted first T20 International match on 22nd May 2015 between Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
- GSL hosted first Women One Day International on 02nd November 2019 between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
- GSL hosted first Women T20 International on 26th October 2019 between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Gaddafi Stadium Lahore Stats (International Cricket)
Gaddafi Stadium Lahore has hosted 41 Tests, 72 One Day Internationals and 29 T20 International including both men and women international cricket.
World Cup History of Gaddafi Stadium
The Gaddafi Stadium Lahore has the honor to host 06 One Day International matches during the 1987 and 1996 Cricket World Cups including the Final of the 1996 Cricket World Cup between Sri Lanka and Australia where Sri Lanka lift the 1996 World Cup Trophy.
PSL History of Gaddafi Stadium
Gaddafi Stadium Lahore has hosted 49 matches of Pakistan Super League till PSL-9 2024 including the three Finals of Pakistan Super League including the Final of PSL-2 2017, PSL-7 2022 and PSL-8 2023. Gaddafi Stadium Lahore is going to host more PSL matches in the upcoming 10th edition of Pakistan Super League 2025.
Architecture and Facilities in Gaddafi Stadium Lahore
The Gaddafi Stadium Lahore has gone through number of upgrades and renovations over the years, with the most recent renovation and upgradation of the Stadium was started in August 2024 which completed in February 2025 ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025.
The 2024-2025 renovation plan included the increasing the seat capacity from 21500 to 34000, construction of a new pavilion building, removal of the fencing around the stands, re-profiling of all general enclosures of the stadium with stands being brought closer by twenty feet to the playing area, installation of new reply-screens, installation of LED lights in place of floodlights and a new building for PCB head office. Some of the key features and state of the art facilities of the newly renovated Gaddafi Stadium Lahore are:
- Seating Capacity of over 34000
- LED lighting System
- Newly Reply Screen
- Modern Dressing Rooms for Players
- VIP lounges and corporate boxes
Enclosures of Gaddafi Stadium
The enclosures of Gaddafi Stadium Lahore are divided into 5 different categories according to their facilities, ground dimensions and view of the ground. There are almost 18 enclosures of the Gaddafi Stadium and each of them is named on the former legendry cricketers of Pakistan. The enclosures names according to their categories are here below:
| Sr. No. | Enclosure Category | Enclosure Name |
| 1 | VVIP Enclosures | Wasim Akram & Waqar Younis |
| 2 | VIP Enclosures | Fazal Mehmood & Imran Khan |
| 3 | Premium Enclosures | Saeed Anwar & Rajas |
| 4 | First Class Enclosures | Javed Miandad, AH Kardar, Abdul Qadir & Sarfaraz Nawaz |
| 5 | General Enclosures | Quaid, Inzamam ul Haq, Majid Khan, Nazar, Zaheer Abbas, Imtiaz Ahmed, Hanif Muhammad & Saeed Ahmed |
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has the authority to change the status of any enclosure according to the demand during any cricket tournament or series.
Pitch Condition of Gaddafi Stadium Lahore
The pitch of the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore is normally a batting friendly and high scoring pitch in limited over format of the game. Teams winning the toss normally prefer to bat first in this ground to take the advantage of the batting friendly surface of Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.
Apart from the batting point of view, Gaddafi Stadium pitch also offers some swing with the new ball for the bowlers and the spinners can become effective as the game progress specially in the 50 over format. Whereas, in T20 crickets, teams are also like to chase the while playing in the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore. Teams may have a batter idea of the pitch just before the start of play.