Cricket fans in Rawalpindi will not have to dig deep into their pockets to watch Pakistan take on Sri Lanka in the second Test, with the Pakistan Cricket Board setting the cheapest tickets at only Rs 200 a day. The board has now confirmed the full price list for the match, which will be played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from November 17 to 21 after being moved out of Lahore because of worsening smog.
The announcement answers the two questions supporters had been asking since the venue change was confirmed: where the match will be played, and what it will cost to get in. Tickets will go on sale at designated TCS Express Centres across the country from 3pm on Thursday, November 12.
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Second Test Ticket Prices
The most striking part of the price list is how affordable the ordinary seats are. A ticket for the General enclosure, the First Class enclosure, the Premium enclosure and the VIP enclosure will each cost Rs 200 per person per day, and that price will stay the same on all five days of the match, from November 17 to November 21. A fan who wants to watch the whole Test from any of those four stands can do so for Rs 1,000, a modest sum for five days of international cricket.
The picture changes only for the two premium options. A seat in the PCB Gallery, which sits in the main building of the stadium, will cost Rs 800 a day, while the Platinum Box is priced at Rs 8,000 per person per day. Those two categories are also unchanged across the five days, so there is no surge in prices for the weekend days or for the final day of the match.
Holding the price at Rs 200 for four of the six seating categories looks like a deliberate attempt to keep the stands full. Test cricket has struggled to draw big crowds in Pakistan in recent years, and a low entry price removes the most obvious reason for a fan to stay at home. For families in particular, the flat rate makes a day at the ground a realistic outing rather than a luxury.
The match was originally scheduled for Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, but the board announced on Tuesday that it would be shifted to Rawalpindi. The reason given was the worsening air quality and the prevailing weather conditions in Lahore, where smog has thickened across the city in recent days. The dates have not changed, and the move means both Tests of the short series will now be played at the same ground.
That shift says something about the difficulties of staging cricket in northern Pakistan in November. Lahore’s smog problem returns every winter, and the board had little choice but to act once the air quality began to deteriorate, because poor visibility and unhealthy air are bad for players and spectators alike. Rawalpindi, which is already hosting the first Test, was the natural fallback.
The series is still very much alive. The opening match, which began at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on November 9, has been shaped as much by the weather as by the cricket. Pakistan declared their first innings at 434 for 9, with Saud Shakeel top-scoring on 93 and five batters, including three debutants, reaching half-centuries. Sri Lanka fought back strongly in reply, reaching 404 for 4 by the close of the third day, with Dhananjaya de Silva unbeaten on 167 and captain Kusal Mendis not out on 117, leaving the visitors only 30 runs behind.
Rain is expected to threaten the fourth day, with heavy showers forecast for the afternoon of November 12, and bad light has already cut short play on the first two days. The weather has therefore become a central character in this series, and it may yet decide whether either side can force a result in the opener. If the first Test ends in a draw, the second Test will carry the full weight of the series.
Both matches count towards the ICC World Test Championship for the 2025-27 cycle, which gives the series an importance beyond the result itself. Every Test in the cycle carries points that shape the standings, and a win is worth far more than a draw, so both teams have a strong reason to push for a result rather than settle for a stalemate. For Pakistan, a home series win would also be a welcome boost for a Test side rebuilding around new faces.
For supporters, the details are now clear. Tickets go on sale from Thursday afternoon at TCS Express Centres, and the cheapest seats cost less than a meal out. With the series finely balanced and the second Test now confirmed for Rawalpindi, the stage is set for five more days of Test cricket in a city that has already seen plenty of drama in the first match. The board has done its part by keeping the prices low, and the hope now is that the crowds respond and the weather allows a proper contest to unfold.
