The allocation of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 funds has already started. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) cleared a whopping budget of Rs 586 crore for the event at the ICC annual meeting in Sri Lanka last month. Now, the PCB is using these funds to start renovations at one of the venues, the National Stadium in Karachi.
National Stadium to be made better for ICC Champions Trophy
According to Geo News, the upgradation of the National Stadium has started with the demolition of the Naseem-ul-Ghani and the Iqbal Qasim enclosures. The scorecard at the Karachi Stadium will also be destroyed, and new media boxes, seating areas for broadcasters and commentators, and hospitality boxes will be constructed in its place. The Pakistan vs Bangladesh 2nd Test will be held at the stadium from September 30 to October 3, and during that period, renovations will be halted.
Karachi will host 3 matches, which include the Champions Trophy opener and the first semifinal. Meanwhile, the other two venues, Rawalpindi and Lahore, will host 5 and 7 games, respectively. The upgrade work at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore has already started, as that’s the venue where India is scheduled to play all of their matches in Lahore, including the final.
ICC Champions Trophy Proposed Schedule
- February 19: New Zealand vs Pakistan – Karachi
- February 20: Bangladesh vs India – Lahore
- February 21: Afghanistan vs South Africa – Karachi
- February 22: Australia vs England – Lahore
- February 23: New Zealand vs India – Lahore
- February 24: Pakistan vs Bangladesh – Rawalpindi
- February 25: Afghanistan vs England – Lahore
- February 26: Australia vs South Africa – Rawalpindi
- February 27: Bangladesh vs New Zealand – Lahore
- February 28: Afghanistan vs Australia – Rawalpindi
- March 1: Pakistan vs India – Lahore
- March 2: South Africa vs England – Rawalpindi
- March 5: 1st Semi-final: TBC vs TBC – Karachi
- March 6: 2nd Semi-final: TBC vs TBC – Rawalpindi
- March 9 Final: TBC vs TBC – Lahore
