ICC Approves USD 65 Million Budget for Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan, Chalks Special Plan For India's Matches Outside Host Country: Report
As per report by Cricbuzz, the International Cricket Council has approved a USD 65 million budget for organising the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan and a special budget for matches to be held outside Pakistan has also been allocated.
With still a question mark on India's participation in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the International Cricket Council is reported to have approved a USD 65 million budget for the marquee tournament scheduled to be held in Pakistan. As per a report by Cricbuzz, the budget was approved in the Annual General Meeting held in Colombo from July 19 to 23. The report further mentions the budget for matches to be held outside Pakistan as well. Rashid Khan Smashes an Exceptional Six Over Covers As He Recreates MS Dhoni’s Helicopter Shot During Welsh Fire vs Trent Rockets ‘The Hundred’ 2024 Match (Watch Video).
As per Cricbuzz, the Champions Trophy 2025 is reported to take place between February 19 to March 9 and as per Cricbuzz, the million-dollar question of India's participation or non-participation was not mentioned in various ICC AGM sessions, but a contingency plan has been developed just in case. Wanindu Hasaranga Ruled Out of Remainder of India vs Sri Lanka ODI Series Due to Hamstring Injury, Jeffrey Vandersay Named Replacement.
The report further mentions that Pakistan has already signed the host agreement for the Champions Trophy with ICC. The management has also accepted an estimate of the increase in the cost of producing the tournament if certain matches need to be played outside of Pakistan. A planning meeting and the inspection of the proposed venues for the tournament took place in Pakistan in March 2024.
As per Cricbuzz, the note mentions, "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. 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."
The Indian team is yet to take a decision on its participation in the Champions Trophy 2025. India are among the favourite teams to win the major ICC tournament after their success in the T20 World Cup 2024 and if they end up pulling out from the tournament, this might probably affect the viewership of the competition. BCCI have always refused to travel to Pakistan due to security reasons and have always stated that they will only take a decision in the matter if they get a nod from the Indian government. The Indian board wants the tournament to be conducted under the hybrid model and as per the reports, if the budget for matches to be conducted outside Pakistan has been allocated, this might be a setback for Pakistan.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 04, 2024 11:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).