The opening ceremony of the ICC men’s Champions Trophy would take place at Lahore’s Shahi Qila on Sunday (today), featuring legendary cricketers, ICC officials, and other distinguished guests, Aaj News reported.

Singer Atif Aslam would perform the official anthem for the mega event.

The tournament would kick off on February 19 in Karachi with the first match between Pakistan and New Zealand. One of the most anticipated clashes between Pakistan and India would occur on February 23 in Dubai.

The mega event would last for 19 days, with exciting cricket matches hosted in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Dubai. The final of the tournament is scheduled for March 9, with the winning team set to receive $2.24 million while the runner-up would earn $1.12 million.

The total prize money has seen an impressive 53% increase from the 2017 edition, totalling $6.9 million.

India and Bangladesh teams have already arrived in Dubai, with the Bengal Tigers scheduled to play a practice match against Pakistan Shaheens tomorrow (Monday).

Afghanistan and New Zealand teams would square off in a warm-up match in Karachi on Sunday. The Australian team is set to arrive in Lahore on February 17, followed by the England team on February 18.

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The Champions Trophy will be the first major tournament to be held in Pakistan since 1996 and will feature the home side and teams from New Zealand, England, Australia, Afghanistan, South Africa, Bangladesh and India.

For the Champions Trophy, police in Lahore, Karachi and the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have deployed over 20,000 troops, including snipers on rooftops along key routes. Hotels where players will stay, stadiums and airports will be heavily guarded as will the roads connecting these locations.