Record-breaking ad rates for Pakistan-India Asia Cup clash spark media frenzy

LAHORE: With the high-octane Pakistan-India showdown in the Asia Cup 2025 set for September 14 in Dubai, the match is already breaking records, not on the pitch, but in the advertising arena.

According to figures released by Indian media, the cost of a 10-second TV advertisement during the blockbuster match has soared beyond Rs 5.1 million. This is as much an ode to the commercial power of cricket as it is to the worldwide interest in this arch-rivalry.

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The advertising frenzy doesn’t stop there. Co-presenting sponsorships for the broadcast have reportedly crossed Rs 5.8 billion, while associate sponsorships have climbed to over Rs 4.1 billion.

Meanwhile, Pakistan-based advertisers looking to secure a spot-buy TV package will have to shell out over Rs 1.4 billion, as per the same reports.

On the digital front, the numbers are just as jaw-dropping. Digital co-presenting sponsors and highlights partners are set to pay a combined total of more than Rs 9.6 billion. Additionally, the “co-powered by” digital package has reportedly been acquired for over Rs 5.8 billion.

With the match still weeks away, this unprecedented advertising rush highlights just how massive the Pakistan-India cricket rivalry has become, not just as a sporting spectacle but as a media goldmine. The Asia Cup 2025’s marquee clash is more than just a game, it’s a billion-rupee business.

MEN IN GREEN WILL BE SANS RIZ-BAR IN ASIA CUP

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been dropped from the 17-member squad announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the upcoming Asia Cup.

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Salman Ali Agha will captain Pakistan in the two T20 events scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is a unending patch of poor performances that have led to omitting Babar and Rizwan from the T20 cricket, with the former especially criticised for slow strike rate and dot balls.

Pakistan have failing in white-ball cricket mainly because of slow run rate and too many dot balls amid the absence of hard-hitting batters both at the top and middle/lower-middle order.