According to some estimations, an India-Pakistan match at an ICC tournament brings in an incredible “$ 250 million (over Rs 2200 crore),” hence the loss of the cash-cow match in the T20 World Cup will undoubtedly be devastating for all parties involved.
The ICC puts the bitter rivals in the same pool for every international tournament because of the intense rivalry between the two nations, who only compete in multi-team events. The Pakistani government declared on Sunday that its team would not be playing the highly anticipated match in Colombo on February 15.
Pakistan runs the risk of losing millions of dollars if they don’t comply, and a no-show would seriously harm the ICC’s finances as well as those of India’s media rights company JioStar, which is now attempting to renegotiate a $3 billion agreement with the organization.
For a major game with a 10-second commercial space that might cost up to Rs 40 lakh, the host broadcaster may lose between Rs 200 crore and Rs 250 crore in ad income. The ICC still has the power to penalize the PCB financially, even though a walkover would give India all the points.
While talking to PTI, Sami-ul-Hasan Burney, a former head of communications for the ICC and PCB, summed up the amount of money that is at stake in a single game.
“As regards the sanctions or the losses, as I said, the one match is costing USD 250 million (everything accounted for not just broadcaster’s loss). Pakistan’s annual revenue is USD 35.5 million, so there is a big, big difference,” PTI quoted Burney as saying.
Industry insiders with knowledge of private discussions over the expenses associated with the game, which has a viewership of over a billion, were cited by the Sydney Morning Herald. According to the statement, each match between India and Pakistan is anticipated to be worth $250 million.
The ICC’s statement after the declaration by the Pakistani government further emphasized the contest’s undeniable worth.
“This position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule. ICC tournaments are built on sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency and fairness, and selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of the competitions,” the ICC said.
Pakistan cricket team reached Colombo to play its remaining games in the showcase beginning February 7 amid the turmoil. The Pakistan board will struggle to defend the selective withdrawal given that the ICC, PCB, and BCCI agreed on a hybrid approach for the India-Pakistan games till 2027.
The turmoil started when Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the IPL per BCCI orders and then Bangladesh withdrew from the ICC event co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka citing security issues.
