The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has suffered a devastating financial blow due to hosting the 2025 Champions Trophy. Reports suggest the board has incurred losses of approximately Rs. 740 crores (about 85 million dollars) from organizing the tournament, forcing them to consider drastic cost-cutting measures including reducing player match fees.

After securing hosting rights for an ICC tournament after nearly 29 years, PCB invested heavily in stadium renovations at Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi, spending around 58 million dollars. The board allocated an additional 40 million dollars for event preparations, bringing their total expenditure to nearly 98 million dollars.

Unfortunately, PCB received only 6 million dollars in hosting fees from the ICC. Ticket sales and sponsorships also generated disappointing revenue, contributing to the massive financial deficit that the board is now struggling to overcome.

To address these losses, PCB is reportedly planning to reduce player match fees from Rs. 40,000 to just Rs. 10,000 without any official announcement. The board is also considering downgrading player accommodations from 5-star hotels to economy options.

Pakistan’s experience as host proved disappointing on multiple fronts. Due to the hybrid model implementation, Pakistan played only one match on home soil, which they lost. Their match against India was held in Dubai, while their third match against Bangladesh was cancelled due to rain, resulting in Pakistan’s elimination without securing a single victory.

The final match, which was originally scheduled to be held in Karachi, was moved to Dubai after India qualified, causing additional revenue losses for PCB.