After 29 years, Pakistan hosted an ICC event on home soil, but it turned out to be a significant loss for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Ahead of the Champions Trophy, PCB spent double the initial budget to renovate stadiums in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi. Pakistan had two group-stage matches on home soil: against New Zealand in Karachi and against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. However, the match against Bangladesh was washed out due to rain. Pakistan had to play against India in Dubai. Consequently, the host nation played only one match at home.
Pakistan was eliminated early from the tournament, bowing out within five days. This led to a loss of interest among local fans, resulting in empty stadiums and decreased ticket demand. Sponsors also backed out, leading to a reported loss of 8.69 billion Pakistani Rupees for PCB.
The impact extended to domestic cricket. Reports indicate that players’ salaries for the upcoming National T20 tournament have been slashed by 90%. Previously, players earned 40,000 PKR per match, which has now been reduced to 10,000 PKR. Similarly, for domestic red-ball cricket, the per-match fee has been reduced from 40,000 PKR to 30,000 PKR. However, PCB has yet to make an official statement regarding this.
