Who got caught in the India-Pakistan war? The uproar on the Champions Trophy will have a deep impact
Cricket News Desk. The next few days are going to be very important for international cricket as the rivalry between the two most famous teams will increase. The uproar over the Champions Trophy 2025 to be held in Pakistan has raised questions on the future of the tournament itself. The situation is becoming difficult due to Team India’s refusal to go to Pakistan and in response Pakistan is not ready for hybrid mode. In the current situation, it seems that this tournament with only 8 teams will be played without India or Pakistan. This will not only reduce the shine of the tournament, the eliminated team will also have to suffer financial loss, but if anyone is facing the biggest loss, it is the International Cricket Council.
There is a dispute going on between India and Pakistan for a long time, due to which both the teams have not been able to be a part of any bilateral series for the last 12-13 years. However India and Pakistan have been competing in tournaments like World Cup and Asia Cup and it is a major source of attraction and excitement for the fans. But it has been very important not only for the fans but also for the ICC that despite the dispute between the two countries, at least India-Pakistan matches should be held in tournaments like the World Cup and this is the reason why India and Pakistan In every tournament, one match is kept in the same group.
India-Pakistan match is the reason for earning!
In such a situation, be it the World Cup or any other tournament, the match between India and Pakistan is the biggest attraction. The reason for this attraction is that ICC earns the most during any tournament from India-Pakistan match. ICC earns most of its income from broadcasting deals but how expensive these deals are also depends on whether the India-Pakistan match takes place or not. This is the reason why India-Pakistan match is fixed in every ICC event. Because the price of advertising slots is highest during India-Pakistan match. The price of India-Pakistan match in this year’s T20 World Cup was Rs 4 lakh per second, which is the highest of any match in the entire tournament.
Last year, the India-Pakistan match in the ODI World Cup was watched by 173 million viewers on TV in India, while the digital viewership was 225 million. This alone is enough to show the importance of the India-Pakistan match. Obviously this would have brought huge earnings to the broadcaster. Now if the India-Pakistan match does not take place, it will impact the broadcaster as it will not get any revenue and in such a situation it will also try to get exemption on broadcast fees from the ICC. Obviously ICC’s earnings will be affected.
Smaller cricket boards are also suffering the consequences of ICC’s low earnings.
Not only the broadcast, but the sponsorship received from the ICC for the India-Pakistan match also plays a big role and depends on how expensive this sponsorship can be. According to a report, the ICC earned about $25 million from the match played between India and Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2024, which did not include the remaining matches of the tournament.
The decline in earnings will not only affect the ICC, but will also affect many smaller cricket boards, which depend on the money they receive from the ICC. There are many cricket boards like West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, which get financial help from ICC. If ICC’s earnings are affected then the earnings of smaller cricket boards will also be affected. That means, it is clear that India-Pakistan cricket match is not only for entertainment and thrill but is also important for the functioning of cricket.
