In recent times, women’s cricket has witnessed exponential all-around growth. The rise in awareness and the support received has led to many historic, and game-changing decisions being taken by the respective board authorities from multiple countries.
One of the landmark decisions was the announcement of pay parity for men’s and women’s cricketers by New Zealand Cricket and the Board of Control for Cricket in India, while Cricket South Africa and Cricket West Indies have taken steps towards bridging the pay gap between the genders involved in the sport.
In this article, we will have a look at the evolution of prize money for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup over the years, since 2016.
Prize Money Breakdown for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup (Since 2016)
2016 Prize Money: US $400,000
India hosted the 2016 edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. ICC announced a prize pot of $ 400,000 for that edition. The West Indies women’s team led by skipper Stafanie Taylor was crowned as the champions of the 2016 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup as they defeated Australia led by skipper Meg Lanning in the final by eight wickets.
2018 Prize Money: US $750,000
The total prize pool for the 2018 edition was $750,000, with the winners receiving $250,000 and the runners-up receiving $125,000. The two teams that reached the semi-finals received $62,500 each. The winners of each group stage match earned $9,500 per match, with a total of 20 matches being played. The six teams that did not advance past the group stage received $10,000 each. The Australian women’s team, led by skipper Meg Lanning, were crowned tournament champions after defeating England by eight wickets in the final.
2020 Prize Money: US $ 2,450,000
The seventh edition saw a slighter increase in the prize money with the winners receiving $ 1000000 with the runners-up receiving $500,000. With an overall 320% increase in the prize pot for 2020 compared to the 2018 edition with a total prize money of $2,450,000. Australia triumphed over the Indian women’s team led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur in the final by a comprehensive 85-run margin to bag their 2nd successive Women’s T20 World Cup title.
2023: Prize Money: US $ 2,450,000
The total prize money purse of US$2,450,000 was allocated for the tournament. The winners received $1,000,000, while the runners-up were allocated $500,000. The two teams that reached the semi-finals received $210,000 each. The winners of each group stage match earned $17,500 per match. The six teams that did not advance past the group stage received $30,000 each. The Australian women’s team, led by skipper Meg Lanning, was eventually crowned champions of the tournament, claiming a hat-trick of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup titles (2018, 2020, and 2023). Hosts South Africa fell agonizingly short of scripting another piece of history, ending up on the losing side by 19 runs while chasing a 157-run target in the final against Australia.
2024: Prize Money: US $7,958,080
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a record-breaking prize pool for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. Set to begin next month in the UAE, the total prize fund stands at an impressive $7,958,080 (US$), more than double the amount from the 2023 edition. This historic increase will see the tournament champions walk away with $2.34 million, a 134% boost from the $1 million awarded to Australia in the last event. The runners-up will also receive a significant increase, with their prize money rising to $1.17 million. The six teams that do not advance past the group stage will still receive substantial support. Each of the 10 participating teams will be awarded a base prize of $112,500. Teams finishing in fifth to eighth places will secure $270,000 each, while those in ninth and tenth positions will receive $135,000 each.
