The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved the budget for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 hosted by Pakistan.
The approval was granted during final day of the body’s annual meeting held in Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka.
Pakistan, the host nation for the event, was represented by Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Mohsin Naqvi, who was present at the meeting.
The budget was meticulously prepared by ICC Chief Finance Officer Ankur Khanna and PCB Chief Finance Officer Javed Murtaza.
Despite circulating rumors about potential alternative venues or a backup plan, the PCB remains adamant about hosting the entire tournament within Pakistan.
Reports indicate the India might play their matches at a neutral venue rather than traveling to Pakistan. However, the PCB is firm on hosting the entire tournament in Pakistan including matches against arch-rivals.
The meeting saw the PCB delegation advocating strongly for this stance. The PCB has designated three venues for the eight-match tournament: Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Lahore.
According to the PCB’s proposed schedule, all of India’s matches are set to take place in Lahore.
Apart from that the board has allocated Rs12.80 billion for the enhancement of the three stadiums. These upgrades are planned in preparation for the marquee event.
The Champions Trophy is scheduled to run from February 19 to March 9, 2025.