The International Cricket Council (ICC) has not made an official statement yet, but it is preparing for all possibilities in case the Indian team declines to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy next year. Cricbuzz has reliably learned that the ICC recently approved a budget of approximately $65 million at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Colombo. This budget includes the costs associated with staging a few games outside of Pakistan.
The Champions Trophy, as first reported by Cricbuzz on July 10, is scheduled to between February 19 and March 9. Cricbuzz understands that the million dollar issue of India's participation or otherwise was not discussed at different forums of the ICC AGM but a contingency has been made, just in case.
The Chief Executives Committee (CEC) approval note states that "PCB has signed Host Agreement and has worked with management to draft an event budget which is submitted F&CA for approval. Management has also approved an estimate of the increase in the cost of staging the event if it is necessary to play some matches outside Pakistan." The ICC, however, did not discuss what will be the venue/venues 'outside Pakistan.'
The CEC note further says, "A planning meeting and inspection of proposed match venues took place in Pakistan in March 2024. A significant amount of renovation work is underway in all three venues to upgrade facilities." Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi are the earmarked venues and it is learnt that the PCB has undertaken work on refurbishing those three centres.
Regarding the budget, it is understood that approximately $35 million has been allocated for the competition itself, with an additional $20 million set aside for participation and prize money. Another $10 million has been approved for the production costs associated with televising the 15-match, 20-day tournament.
As earlier reported by Cricbuzz, the budget estimate was arrived at after Ankur Khanna, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the ICC, spent three days in Lahore in June to work on the issue with Javed Murtuza, the CFO of the PCB.
Meanwhile, the ICC is understood to have shared a draft schedule with stakeholders, including broadcasters and all participating teams. The draft schedule largely aligns with expectations. All of India's matches are set to be held in Lahore, with the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match scheduled for Saturday, March 1. In addition to India and Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand are in Group A. Group B consists of Australia, England, Afghanistan, and South Africa.
India's other games are scheduled for February 20 against Bangladesh and February 23 against New Zealand. The competition will open with hosts Pakistan facing New Zealand on February 19 in Karachi. The two semifinals are set to be held in Karachi on March 5 and Pindi on March 6, with the final taking place in Lahore on March 9. However, the venues, understandably, are subject to change depending on the Indian team and Government of India's decision. An ICC team will visit Pakistan next month for an inspection of the three venues.
A seven-day window, from February 12 to 18, has been designated as a 'support period.' During this time, participating teams will play warm-up matches and engage in media and promotional activities as per the established protocols. March 10 is the reserve day for the final. The Champions Trophy was last played in 2017 and it was won by Pakistan.
DRAFT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, February 19 Match 1 NZ v PAK
Thursday, February 20 Match 2 BAN v IND
Friday, February 21 Match 3 AFG v SA
Saturday, February Match 4 AUS v ENG
Sunday, February 23 Match 5 NZ v IND
Monday, February 24 Match 6 PAK v BAN
Tuesday, February 25 Match 7 AFG v ENG
Wednesday, February 26 Match 8 AUS v SA
Thursday, February 27 Match 9 BAN v NZ
Friday, February 28 Match 10 AFG v AUS
Saturday, March 1 Match 11 PAK v IND
Sunday, March 2 Match 12 SA v ENG
Wednesday, March 5 Semi-final 1 -- A1 v B2
Thursday, March 6 Semi-final 2 -- B1 v A2
Sunday, March 9, 2025 Final
Monday, March 10, 2025 Reserve Day
Tri-series in Multan
Prior to the Champions Trophy, Pakistan will host a tri-series involving New Zealand and South Africa between February 8 and 14. All the matches will be played in Multan.
Schedule of the tri-series
February 8 - Pakistan v New Zealand
February 10 -- New Zealand v South Africa
February 12 - Pakistan v South Africa
February 14 - Final