The Indian women’s cricket team that ended a 47-year wait for their maiden ICC World Cup title in Navi Mumbai on Sunday is set to receive a whopping Rs 51 crore cash reward boost, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed.
Speaking to ANI, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the gesture as recognition for the efforts of the women’s team during the victorious home campaign, ending the heartbreaks of the 2005 and 2017 finals defeats.
“Last month, ICC Chairman Jay Shah announced a 300 percent increase in women’s prize money. Earlier, the prize fund was 3.88 million dollars, which has now been raised to 14 million dollars. In addition, the BCCI has decided to reward the entire Indian team — players, coaches, selectors, and support staff — with a total of Rs 51 crore,” Devajit Saikia said.
“BCCI is elated and without touching anything from the ICC kitty, BCCI on its own is going to pay, as a reward, of INR 51 crores to the Indian team. That amount will go to the players, selectors as well as the support staff headed by Amol Muzumdar,” he added.
The team’s prize money is a combination of a BCCI bonus and the ICC’s significantly hiked winner’s cheque. Ahead of the competition, ICC chairman Jay Shah had announced a prize money rise for teams at the Women’s World Cup, with the winners set to receive USD 4.48 million (approximately INR 42 crore). The prize money boosted reflected on the rapid rise in the women’s game, as it is more than triple the USD 1.32 million won by Australia in the 2022 edition, even surpassing the USD 4 million the Australian men’s team received in 2023.
India edged out South Africa by 52 runs in the final, setting up a 299-run target for the Proteas. Shafali Verma was the undisputed star of the final, dominating with both bat and ball. Entering the tournament as a late replacement for Pratika Rawal before the semi-finals, the young opener delivered a brilliant, match-winning performance. She first scored a superb 87 runs and then scalped two crucial wickets in the middle overs, dismissing Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp. The Women in Blue were also complemented by Deepti Sharma’s all-round exploits, capping off a successful tournament with a half-century and five wickets in the final.
