Things are looking very bleak for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) at the moment with on-field as well as off-field performances taking a massive hit. After crashing out of a home ICC event in the Champions Trophy 2025, PCB have now incurred a jaw-dropping 85 million (INR 869 crore) loss in the tournament in which they played just one game at home.
The Mohammad Rizwan-led side lost their first match against New Zealand in Lahore before traveling to Dubai were they faced arch-rival India and suffered a six-wicket loss. Later, they returned to Pakistan only to see rain rubbing salt into their wounds as their game against Bangladesh was abandoned without a ball being bowled. Due to heavy losses against the Kiwis and India, Pakistan crashed out of the Champions Trophy with just one home game.
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As per a report in the Telegraph India, the PCB had spent approximately PKR 18 billion (about $58 million) to renovate their three CT venues - Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi. However, the cost of upgradation turned out to be a massive 50% more than the anticipated budget.
PCB only receives USD 6 million in return as part of being host for CT 2025
Later, the PCB also reportedly spent USD 40 million on event preparations. In return, however, they hardly earned in pennies. The PCB has only received USD 6 million in return as part of being the host nation. Even the board could not make a profit when it came to ticket sales and sponsorships. The report thus concluded that the PCB suffered a huge loss of USD 85 million by hosting the ICC Champions Trophy.
The aftereffects of such a massive loss are being witnessed in some of the board's subsequent plans. The management has slashed match fees for the National T20 Championship by 90%, while also cutting the reserve player payments by 87.5%.
As per Pakistan's Dawn, "The PCB had recently reduced match fees from Rs 40,000 to Rs 10,000 without any official announcement...however, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi intervened, rejecting the decision and directing the board's domestic cricket department to reassess the matter."
Also Read: Mohammad Rizwan snubs National T20 Championship, opts to play club cricket instead
Also, the players five-star accommodations were swapped with economy hotels. Pakistan hosting an ICC event after 29 years has made a huge hole in PCB's pockets.
