CHENNAI: With the ninth edition of the Women's T20 World Cup a few days away, the International Cricket Council announced equal prize money for men and women in World Cups. Starting with the 2024 edition in Dubai the total prize pool is raised to $7,958,080 — more than double that of the 2023 edition.
'The winner of the 2024 T20 World Cup will earn a massive amount of $2.34 million, a staggering 134% increase from the $1 million awarded to the winners of the previous edition in 2023," ICC said in a statement. Meanwhile, the runners-up of the tournament will also benefit from a 134% rise as they are scheduled to receive $1.17 million.
Two teams exiting in the semifinal will receive $675,000 each, which has seen the highest percentage of increases at 221% compared to that of the eighth edition in South Africa. The prize pool will not just include knockout stages as each group stage win for a team will now be rewarded with $31,154, reflecting a 78% increase from last year’s $17,500.
Former Indian captain and head of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association’s Cricket Advisory Committee, Sudha Shah welcomed this decision by the governing body. "Getting the equal prize money is such a boost for women's cricket and it is well deserved by the players," Shah told this daily.
Given the increasing number of contracted players and more and more cricket boards offering equal match fees for their men and women players, Shah believes this is probably the best time to choose cricket. "It is a good move for the game. I think my generation sowed the seeds and now we are seeing the fruits of that. This pushes women's cricket forward," she added.
Shah, who represented India in 21 Tests and 13 ODIs between 1976-1991, highlighted how the influx of money in the women's game has led to changes in the condition of players for better and this announcement from ICC is in line with the trend. "Back in the day when we were playing, many talented players had to decide between cricket and career.
And because of that dilemma, we lost a lot of players who could have represented India at the international level. They could not depend on cricket financially. In fact, the players had to put money from their own pockets to play. Considering all of that, if we look today, it is really good that today's cricketers don't have to look for a job outside of cricket. They can play the game professionally. This is a giant leap from our generation to now," Shah explained.
The rise in prize money is not just limited to the teams who will potentially top their group-stage fixtures but also to the teams exiting during the group stage. There is a base prize of $112,500 awarded to all 10 participating teams, totalling $1.125 million. Teams finishing fifth to eighth will earn $270,000 each, and teams finishing ninth and 10th earn $135,000 each. For comparatively smaller cricket boards like Scotland, playing their first Women's T20 World Cup, this is great news as they can make the most of their stay at the World Cup and there is an additional monetary incentive for them to win more matches.
This decision is in line with ICC's recent announcement regarding the expansion of the T20 World Cup to 16 teams in 2030. With this ICC has put money where the mouth is and this will definitely lead to more inclusivity in the near future.