ICC approves USD 70 million budget for hosting Champions Trophy in Pakistan

NEW DELHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved a budget of approximately USD 70 million to host the Champions Trophy in Pakistan early next year.

The decision was made after scrutiny by the ICC's financial and commercial committee, chaired by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who reviewed the budget prepared and jointly submitted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the ICC finance department, news agency PTI quoted a source close to the ICC as saying.

"The approximate budget is around USD 70 million and only USD 4.5 million has been allocated as additional expenses," the source said.

The approval of the total budget and the additional expenses has sparked speculation. There are concerns that backup funds might be intended in the event that India decides not to send its team to Pakistan, which would necessitate moving some matches to other venues.

The source further said that the indications are that the additional amount of USD 4.5 million is too meagre compared to the overall budget to cover moving matches from Pakistan.

Jay Shah, who also leads the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), presided over the decision to award the T20 format Asia Cup to India in 2025 and the 50-over format Asia Cup to Bangladesh in 2027.

According to the source, the tentative format for next year's Asia Cup places India and Pakistan in the same group. This could potentially lead to a second match between the two in the tournament's super four stage and possibly a third if both teams qualify for the final.

"A third match could happen if they qualify for the final," he said.

The source also disclosed that despite the confusion, late venue changes, and additional expenses during the 2023 Asia Cup held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the ACC still managed to make a profit.

"The profits came because of the India and Pakistan games," the source explained.