LAHORE: It remains unclear about who will pocket the gate money coming in from ticket sales of the Champions Trophy.
Dawn reached out to hosts Pakistan Cricket Board and tournament organisers International Cricket Council with the query, but neither had responded by the time this story was filed.
With India’s matches of the Champions Trophy set to be held in Dubai as per a “hybrid model” — agreed upon due to its government refusing to allow the team to travel across the border — there is a substantial difference between the ticket prices of the matches in Pakistan and those in Dubai.
Principally, the PCB reserves the right over gate money of all Champions Trophy matches as the host board but its silence over the matter and so of the ICC has created suspicion, with a hefty revenue potentially at stake.
The most expensive ticket for the matches in Pakistan costs Rs25,000, which, as compared to ticket prices in Dubai is extremely cheap.
According to a media report, the Pakistan-India match has fetched a record revenue of Rs3.47 billion in ticket sales, while the total revenue to be earned from India’s group matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand is estimated to be Rs6.73 billion.
The report said the minimum price of the ticket for the Pakistan-India was AED500, while the maximum a ticket costed for the match was AED12,500.
All the tickets of the marquee fixture were sold out within an hour. There are chances that strong financial parties might have bought maximum tickets to sell out at higher prices later.
In a recent press conference, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had disclosed that the ICC had agreed to hand more amount to the PCB than what the event will generate through gate money. But whether the agreement covers the Dubai revenue is yet to be clarified.
Mohsin had also said that the extra share coming from the ICC would help settling up the exceeded costs for the ongoing stadium upgradations in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi.
The PCB had set a budget of Rs12.80 billion for the purpose but it is learnt that it has exceded to around Rs21 billion. Dawn had reported earlier that the ICC had deemed all the three venues ready to hold Champions Trophy matches even before the upgradation, but the PCB still decided to carry on with its ambition.
Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2025
