ICC Increases Prize Pot By 320% For ICC Women's T20I World Cup 2020

There comes yet another development for women in International Cricket. This time, the Apex Body, International Cricket Council has raised the bar of the prize money for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20I World Cup 2020. This time the tournament will be hosted in Australia.

The winners and runners up will now receive $1 million and $500,000 respectively. It is five times the amount on offer in 2018. An overall 320% increase in the prize pot for 2020 (compared to 2018). Certainly, it will see every single team of the 10 competing teams receive significantly more money prize. It is done as part of ongoing efforts to drive improved standards throughout the game and not just rewarding the top end.

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We want to ensure female have the same chances as men – Many Sawhney

There will also be an abundant development in the money available for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2021 with the prize bucket increasing to $3.5m from $2m in 2017. The ICC Board also approved the initiation of an Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup. It is to be played in Bangladesh in 2021 and staged every two years after that.

“We have already stated our long-term commitment to reach parity across men’s and women’s cricket as part of a broader plan to grow and develop the women’s game,” ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said.

“We want to build a long-term sustainable foundation for women’s cricket and that is about more than just prize money. It is about building a product that fans want to watch, that kids want to take up, that sponsors and broadcasters want to be part of. Creating a Women’s U19 event also improves the pathway available to young cricketers and ensures they have the same opportunities as their male counterparts.”

It is a part of the growth of women cricket –

The Board decided that the eight-year cycle starting in 2023 will comprise eight men’s events, eight women’s events, four men’s Under-19 events and four women’s Under-19 events. The ICC will request for declarations of interest from all member nations aspiring to host events. Invitations for the same will start in 2020.

“This is a journey we started in earnest in 2017 and next year it’s our ambition to fill the MCG on International Women’s Day for the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 which would be a world record for a women’s sporting event. This significant increase in prize money and the introduction of a Women’s U19 event is part of a much larger effort to grow the women’s game around the world.”

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Meanwhile, Indra Nooyi was unanimously elected as the ICC’s independent director for a second two-year term from 2020-22. The former PepsiCo chairperson and CEO Nooyi became the ICC Board’s first independent female director in 2018.