No Five Star Hotel, Pakistan players' Salary deducted by 87.5 per cent as PCB suffer Huge Loss after Champions Trophy Debacle

Pakistan cricket has been in turmoil for a while, with the national team struggling to deliver on the big stage. But now, the off-field disaster seems to have overshadowed their on-field woes.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly suffered an astronomical loss of USD 85 million (INR 869 crore) while hosting the ICC Champions Trophy, a tournament where they played just one home game.

A financial nightmare of this magnitude has left the PCB scrambling for damage control, but the repercussions have already hit Pakistan cricket hard.

Pakistan's campaign in the tournament was nothing short of a disaster. They opened with a defeat to New Zealand in Lahore, the only match they played on home soil. Then they lost to India in Dubai, which put the hammer blow in their Champions Trophy hopes. A washout against Bangladesh then concluded a bleak ICC outing. But the recent developments of PCB's financial crippled state has brought the Pakistan cricket down to its knees.

As per The Telegraph, the PCB spent a staggering PKR 18 billion (USD 58 million) to upgrade three stadiums- Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi for the tournament. But the costs ballooned to 50% more than expected, turning what was supposed to be an investment into a financial disaster. If that wasn't enough, USD 40 million was further drained into event preparations. But in return, the board's earnings were mere peanuts. The hosting fee fetched them a paltry USD 6 million, and revenue from ticket sales and sponsorships was negligible. The numbers tell a grim story - Pakistan didn't just fail in the Champions Trophy; they paid a colossal price for it.

With a USD 85 million hole in its pocket, the PCB had no choice but to enforce drastic cost-cutting measures. The first victims of this crisis were Pakistan's domestic cricketers, as the board quietly slashed match fees from Rs 40,000 to Rs 10,000, while reserve player payments were cut by a staggering 87.5%. The move, however, caused an uproar, forcing PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi to step in.

According to Dawn, "The PCB had recently reduced match fees from Rs 40,000 to Rs 10,000 without any official announcement..." but after mounting backlash, Naqvi intervened, directing the board to reassess the matter.

Pakistan players were also denied the five-star hotels and the players are accommodated at economic hotels.

While the PCB scrambles to contain the crisis, the sheer scale of the financial catastrophe raises serious concerns about the board's planning and management. Pakistan cricket is already struggling on the field, and now their financial woes may put them into further misery.