The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly approved a budget of around $70 million for Pakistan to host the Champions Trophy 2025 in February-March next year.
Indian media outlets reported that the budget was approved by the ICC’s financial and commercial committee chaired by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the ICC Finance Department jointly submitted the budget.
“The approximate budget is around $70 million, with $4.5 million allocated for additional expenses,” Times of India reported, citing sources.
Several reports said that the ICC allocated the additional amount for expenses likely for the rescheduling of some games if India refuses to send its team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025.
Read more: BCCI official opens up on Pakistan’s potential boycott of T20 World Cup 2026
Meanwhile, reports said that the additional $4.5 million reserved for additional expenses might not be sufficient to relocate matches from the country.
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan is set to host the Champions Trophy 2025 from February to March in three major cities including Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.
Group A consists of Pakistan, India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh, while Group B includes Australia, England, Afghanistan, and South Africa.
Reports said that Pakistan could boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 and Asia Cup 2025 if India refuses to travel to Pakistan for the upcoming tournament.
Amid ambiguity around India’s travel plans for the tournament, reports said that Pakistan might refuse to send its team to India for the two tournaments.
Reacting to the reports, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla had said that India will only visit Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025 if the government approves sending the team to the country.
“Pakistan can say whatever it wants about coming to India during the 2026 World Cup, but we are only waiting for the approval of the Indian government,” Shukla was quoted by Indian media outlets as saying.
