Did the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) really incur a loss of Rs 739 crore for hosting the ICC Champions Trophy? Well, not according to them! PCB spokesperson Aamir Mir and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Javed Murtaza have refuted all the media reports of losses. Instead, according to them, the Pakistan cricketing body has made a revenue of almost Rs 100 crore by hosting a major ICC event after 29 years.
“All expenses for the tournament were covered by the ICC. PCB generated income through gate money and ticket sales,” Aamir Mir clarified.
PCB surpasses Champions Trophy target
He further stated that the initial target of Rs 2 billion in revenue has been surpassed, dismissing media speculations regarding losses. In total, Pakistan hosted 10 matches with two washouts in Rawalpindi. Pakistan played just one home match as they had to travel to Dubai for the mega cash-generator IND vs PAK clash. Dubai also hosted one semifinal and final besides India’s three group matches.
However, as per Murtaza, PCB not only made around Rs 100 in revenue, they will surpass that once the audit is done. PCB set an initial target of PKR 2 billion or around Rs 62 Cr in revenue. PCB is also expecting Rs 93 Cr from ICC for loss in revenue due to India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan.
“After the audit, we expect an additional Rs 3 billion from the ICC,” Mir added.
‘PCB now in top 3 richest cricket boards’
Not just successfully hosting the Champions Trophy though, Pakistan Cricket is now claiming to be among the top three richest cricket boards in the world. As per PCB, the board earned over Rs 300 Cr in the 2023-24 fiscal year with a 40% increase in revenues.
BCCI is the current richest cricket board in the world with an estimated revenue of USD 2.25 billion or around Rs 19000 Crore. Cricket Australia is 2nd with $79 million or Rs 689 Cr. England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) earned a revenue of around 513 Crore.
While Pakistan claims that they earned around Rs 300 Crore, that would still put them at 4th, not among top 3 richest cricket boards.
