Every time India plays Pakistan in an ICC cricket tournament, it feels like the world pauses. The stadiums are packed, television screens glow in homes across continents and emotions run high. For fans, it’s a cricketing contest laced with history. Beneath the cheers and the wickets lies a quieter, more serious story … one of money, power and the difficult question … who really profits when India faces Pakistan on the cricket field?

In 2023, when India met Pakistan in the ICC World Cup, nearly 400 million people in India alone watched the match, 173 million on TV and another 225 million via digital platforms. It became one of the most-watched cricket games in history. So many eyes glued to the screen, advertisers knew exactly where to spend. A 10-second ad during this match reportedly cost ₹50 lakh which was twice the rate of regular World Cup matches. Some brands even paid 20–25% more just to be part of that one game. Revenue from ad slots alone crossed ₹100 crore during similar past encounters.

Tickets for the 2023 game in Ahmedabad sold out almost instantly. Official prices ranged from ₹2,000 to ₹40,000. One VIP ticket was listed for ₹2.5 crore on resale websites. Hotels in the city multiplied their rates up to 12 times the normal and everything from food stalls to airlines profited from the cricket buzz. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry estimates that India-Pakistan matches over two decades have generated nearly ₹10,000 crore or $1.3 billion.

What many don’t realise is that a large portion of this money, especially the part handled by the International Cricket Council (ICC) gets shared with Pakistan. The ICC’s revenue-sharing model for 2024–27 gives Pakistan’s cricket board, the PCB, around 5.75% of the total pot. That’s about $34 million a year. India, which generates most of this money through its viewership and sponsors, gets about 38.5%. Even a small percentage, when the pot is large, can be a big deal. The PCB’s annual cricket budget is about $40–50 million, so its ICC share covers most of its needs.

India hasn’t played a bilateral series with Pakistan since 2007–08 but they do meet in ICC tournaments and that’s where the PCB earns its biggest profits. In some years, Pakistan’s cricket board has earned an extra ₹165–220 crore just because India participated in the same tournament. It’s not just about prize money, it’s about the massive broadcast deals, advertising and sponsors that come only when India plays.

In 2025, India refused to play the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan, forcing the tournament into a hybrid model. India’s matches were held in Dubai. As a result, the PCB suffered massive losses, reportedly over PKR 7 billion. With no India games in Pakistan, ticket sales dropped and sponsors backed away. The tournament turned into a financial setback.

The ICC, broadcasters and sponsors want India and Pakistan to play because the match guarantees profit. That’s why the ICC often places the two teams in the same group. One match between them can pay for half the tournament.

Sport, at its heart, is supposed to unite. It speaks a language beyond borders, religions, and politics. It offers hope, builds friendships and heals old wounds. And in the subcontinent, where so much divides us, cricket has often been one of the few things that brings us together. Many Indians still remember the warmth shown by ordinary Pakistanis to visiting Indian fans in 2004. Similarly, social media is full of friendships, jokes and goodwill between fans from both sides.

This isn’t about the people of Pakistan. It never has been. The student in Karachi, the mother cheering in Lahore, the young cricketer dreaming under street lights … they are not our enemy. They love cricket the same way we do. They, too, are trapped in a system that often puts politics before peace.

But here comes the difficult part. Pakistan’s military and intelligence services have long been accused of supporting terrorist groups that have attacked India. From the 2008 Mumbai attacks to the 2016 Pathankot assault and most recently, the 2025 Pahalgam massacre where 26 Indian tourists were killed … these events have been traced back to Pakistan-based groups. International reports and confessions have highlighted the involvement of agencies like the ISI.

When India plays Pakistan in cricket, the PCB makes money. That money may not directly fund terrorism but money is flexible. A financially healthy PCB means the Pakistani government doesn’t need to spend as much on cricket. In a country where the military often controls policy and state decisions, the lines between sport and politics are not always clear. This is the concern, a beautiful game like cricket, a symbol of peace and unity, becoming a tool that financially supports systems that do the opposite.

Sport is the best peace-building tool we have but peace is not just the absence of war … it is also the presence of fairness, truth and accountability. When the commercial gains of sport risk falling into the wrong hands, they become a threat rather than a bridge.

Many in India have begun asking whether the country should continue playing Pakistan in ICC tournaments without any conditions. Some suggest that Indian sponsors should avoid advertising during these matches. Others believe that companies should insert clauses in their ICC deals that exclude India-Pakistan games. If Indian money powers global cricket, then Indian companies have the right to say how and where it is used.

This isn’t about punishing Pakistani fans or players. This is about accountability. It is about sending a message that India’s economic strength in cricket won’t be used, even indirectly, to support systems that hurt its citizens. Perhaps, by doing so, we also send a message of hope that cricket should go back to being a game between equals, not a game where goodwill becomes a weapon.

One game of cricket may not change the world but asking the right questions about that game, about who profits and who pays the price … just might.

© Rahul Mukherji

IOC Master Trainer in Olympics Value Education Program