Champions Trophy saw a lukewarm response in host country Pakistan, but a smash-hit Dubai leg left no one complaining
Mumbai: Even as they set the stage for the presentation ceremony, in one corner of the Dubai International Stadium turf, Rohit Sharma would stamp the winning stump. The stadium sound system played ‘Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikandar’ in the background which felt more like a metaphorical music overlay over the Indian captain’s action.
There are those in the cricket community who have attached an asterisk to India’s Champions Trophy triumph for an ‘undeniable advantage’ they enjoyed by playing all their matches at one venue.
Could the International Cricket Council (ICC) have had it any other way? Hosts Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) didn’t have a level playing field in mind during their negotiations with the ICC. They were even okay if India agreed to play all their matches in Lahore, on the most batting-friendly pitches of the tournament. Some have suggested India should have been forced to play in varied conditions in UAE, Sharjah as well as Abu Dhabi.
“Dubai’s preference was obviously with the consent of both the host and the ICC,” Subhan Ahmed, Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), COO said. “In Dubai, it is plug and play. It is very easy. Not that other venues are not available. But the capacity here is such that it can cater to 25,000 people. Other venues do not have the capacity to host big matches.”
The central theme in big-ticket tournaments is those big tickets. One understands the PCB struck an agreement with the Emirates’ board under which they took home a flat $2 million from gate receipts for India’s matches in Dubai. While the ECB refused to discuss finances, a source estimates they would have made ten times of the PCB, with India’s unbeaten run stretching to five matches lapped up by the Indian diaspora, the biggest expat base in the Emirates.
Tickets for the Dubai matches were exorbitantly priced with the lowest priced India-Pakistan match ticket worth ₹12,000. Given the appetite for cricket, the premium tickets were worth ₹3.5 lakh. Ticket rates for the India-New Zealand final were similar, with only early bird entrants handed out cheaper tickets. Except for the India-Bangladesh tie, stands were mostly packed.
“The pricing was set in consultation with both the ICC and hosts. We were reasonably confident that the people would turn up, that people would pay for it,” Ahmed said during the India-New Zealand league tie.
Soon after India qualified for the final, there were NRIs in London willing to shell out the priciest Dubai airfare, once they secured a match ticket through the resale route. Sponsored super fans took flights to add noise and colour and corporate bookings picked up speed.
Low-key response in Pak
In contrast, big cricket’s return to Pakistan after nearly three decades – they hosted 10 of the 15 matches – met with lukewarm response. Surprisingly, even the tournament opener where the host team took on New Zealand saw big chunks of stands vacant in the first half of the game. More people came in towards the evening, but it painted a sorry picture of ODI cricket; people habituated with the T20 format, refusing to queue up for eight hours of cricket, half of it under the baking sun.
Once Pakistan’s performances became progressively worse, the interest levels around the tournament nosedived in the host country. The New Zealand-South Africa semi-final was played to half-empty stands in Lahore. It looked anything but cricket’s marquee event on the other side of India’s border.
Those may not have been great optics for the PCB, but they won’t be overly worried. 20.6 crore viewers watched Virat Kohli’s stellar run chase against Pakistan on Indian TV. Indian viewership accounts for 90 percent of ICC revenue and PCB gets to take home 34.5 million every year.
“It was the second-most watched cricket match, outside of World Cups,” said a tailored press release from the broadcasters.
Whether the Indo-Pak rivalry was losing sheen or not, the match’s viewership was still 40 times the population of New Zealand.
Whether there is a pre-match opening ceremony or not, even if there is no all-captain’s get-together, so long as India’s Men in Blue are performing – spinning a web or swinging for sixes – public mood in India remains vibrant. Pictures of fans flashing mobile lights, scrambling for a glimpse of Rohit and Co on their return home after the win were illustrative of the lasting love for cricket in India.
Not a single journalist travelled from Australia and New Zealand to Dubai for the semi-final and the final, even as Indian media persons filled the press box.
A report from the Times in UK says The Lord’s has slashed ticket revenue estimates to the extent of 4 million pounds for June’s World Test Championship final after India failed to qualify.
The Champions Trophy 2025 was a resounding success, only because it was a big Indian party. Rohit’s team simply played to the draw and very well at that.
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