The Bangladesh women’s cricket team is all set to receive US$2.50 lakh (approximately Taka 3.20 crore) for participating in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, which begins today.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a significant increase in prize money for the eight-team tournament, with the total pot now standing at US$13.88 million (Taka 168.15 crore). This marks a monumental rise of 297 percent from the US$3.5 million awarded during the previous edition held in New Zealand in 2022.
In a landmark move, the total prize fund now surpasses that of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup held in India two years ago, which had a total prize pool of US$10 million.
This development aligns with the ICC’s broader strategy to grow women’s cricket globally. Ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, the organisation also introduced pay parity, signalling a shift towards equal recognition and financial reward in the sport.
The winners of the 13th edition of the Women’s Cricket World Cup will take home US$4.48 million, a 239 percent increase from the US$1.32 million awarded to Australia in 2022. The runners-up will receive US$2.24 million, compared to the US$600,000 England won three years ago, marking a 273 percent increase. The two losing semi-finalists will be awarded US$1.12 million each, a rise from US$300,000.
Each group stage participant is guaranteed US$250,000, while each victory in the group stage will earn the team an additional US$34,314.
The tournament is jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. In addition to the two host nations, reigning champions Australia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa and England will also compete.
Bangladesh, who made their Women’s ODI World Cup debut in 2022, will begin their campaign with a match against Pakistan in Colombo on Thursday. Nigar Sultana’s side will play six more matches in the group phase. In their previous appearance, Bangladesh registered one win, which came against Pakistan.
Speaking before departure, Captain Nigar Sultana expressed optimism about securing more victories this time. For every win in the first phase, Bangladesh will earn Taka 41.56 lakh. However, even without any wins, the team is guaranteed Taka 3.20 crore as a participating nation.
