The recipient of the gate money from ticket sales for all Dubai matches of the Champions Trophy remains unclear, according to the Pakistani daily newspaper Dawn. Despite Dawn’s apparent efforts to reach out to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC), neither organization has provided clarification.
The issue in question arises from the “hybrid model” used for India’s matches during the tournament, which will be held in Dubai due to the Indian government’s refusal to allow the team to travel across the border. This has led to significant differences in ticket prices between matches in Pakistan and those in Dubai.
As the host board, the PCB typically retains the gate money from all Champions Trophy matches. However, the silence of both the PCB and ICC on this matter, especially with potentially large revenue at stake, has raised questions.
In Pakistan, the most expensive ticket for the matches costs Rs 25,000, significantly lower than the prices for tickets in Dubai. According to reports, the Pakistan-India match alone generated a record Rs 3.47 billion in ticket sales, with total expected revenue from India’s group matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand estimated at Rs 6.73 billion.
Ticket prices for the Pakistan-India match ranged from AED500 (USD 132.98) to AED12,500 (USD 3,325), and all tickets for this highly anticipated fixture sold out within an hour. There are concerns that powerful financial entities may have purchased large quantities of tickets to resell them at inflated prices.
In a recent press conference, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi revealed that the ICC had agreed to provide the PCB with a larger share than what the event’s gate revenue would generate. However, it remains unclear whether this agreement includes the revenue from the Dubai matches.
Naqvi also mentioned that the additional funds from the ICC would help cover the costs of ongoing stadium upgrades in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi. Originally budgeted at Rs12.80 billion, the cost of the upgrades has reportedly exceeded Rs21 billion. Although the ICC had approved the three venues as ready to host Champions Trophy matches before the upgrades, the PCB chose to proceed with the projects regardless.
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