The T20 World Cup 2024 is set to be a landmark event in cricket history, not just for the thrilling matches it promises but also for the unprecedented prize money on offer. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced record-breaking prize money for the tournament, marking a significant increase from previous editions.

Historic Prize Money for Winners

For the first time, the winners of the men’s T20 World Cup 2024 will take home a dazzling trophy and a staggering prize money of at least US$2.45 million. This is the highest prize money ever awarded in the history of the tournament. To put this into perspective, it represents an increase of nearly $850,000 from the 2022 T20 World Cup held in Australia, where the champions, England, pocketed $1.6 million.

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Increased Total Prize Pool

The total prize pool for the 2024 tournament has more than doubled, jumping from $5.6 million in 2022 to an impressive $11.25 million this year. This substantial increase ensures that more teams benefit from the financial rewards, enhancing the competitive spirit and stakes of the tournament.

Prize Money for Runners-Up and Semi-Finalists

The runners-up in the T20 World Cup 2024 will receive a handsome sum of $1.28 million, a significant rise from the $800,000 awarded in 2022. Similarly, the losing semi-finalists will each be awarded $787,500, up from $400,000 in the previous edition.

Earnings for Super Eight and Other Teams

Teams reaching the Super Eight stage will also see a substantial boost in their earnings. Each of these teams will earn $382,500, a considerable incentive for advancing beyond the group stages. Teams finishing in the ninth to twelfth positions will receive $247,500 each, while the remaining teams will get $225,000 each. This structured prize distribution ensures that all participating teams receive a fair share of the financial rewards.

Match Win Bonuses

In addition to the stage-based rewards, teams will earn $31,154 for each match they win during the tournament, with the exceptions of the two semi-finals and the final. This per-match bonus encourages competitive play and rewards consistency throughout the tournament.

ICC’s Statement on Prize Money

In a statement, ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice highlighted the significance of the increased prize money. He remarked, “This event is historic in so many ways, so it is fitting that the prize money for players reflects that. Hundreds of millions of fans around the world will be entertained by the players in what we’re hoping to be an out-of-this-world event.”

Structure of the T20 World Cup 2024

The T20 World Cup 2024 features a new and exciting format. The tournament, which started with the USA beating Canada in the opening match, is divided into four groups, each comprising five teams. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Eight stage, where they will compete for a place in the semi-finals.

List of prize money won by the Champions over the years 

USA registered a convincing win by 7 wickets over Canada at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas in the first match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Aaron Jones and Andries Gous smashed swashbuckling knocks and helped the team win in the Canada vs USA match.

Canada players did well with the bat

The USA won the toss and opted to bowl first. Batting first, Canada openers Aaron Johnson (23 off 16) and Navneet Dhaliwal (61 off 44) got off to a steady start. They added 43 runs within the powerplay. Soon after, they lost 2 wickets before Nicholas Kirton came to steady the ship. He scored 51 off 31 with 3 fours and 2 sixes whereas Navneet Dhaliwal smashed 61 off 44 with 6 fours and 3 sixes as well.

However, after their dismissals, middle-order batters Shreyas Movva and Dilpreet Singh stepped up. While the former scored a quickfire 32* off 16 with 2 fours and 2 sixes, the latter’s quick 11 helped them to post a huge total of 194 runs in their allotted 20 overs with the loss of 5 wickets.

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Aaron Jones played a stunning knock

While chasing, the USA had a poor start as their opener Steven Taylor got out for a 2-ball duck. Soon, they lost their other opener and captain Monank Patel for a mere score of 16 within the powerplay. However, Andries Gous and Aaron Jones joined hands to steady the ship. They added 131 runs for the third wicket where Andries Gous scored 65 off 46 with 7 fours and 3 sixes.

However, it was Aaron Jones who played a swashbuckling knock of 94* off 40 with the help of 4 fours and 10 sixes. Their quickfire knocks helped the side to reach the target within 17.4 overs as well. Meanwhile, this is the third-highest successfully chased in a T20 World Cup.

Notably, Jones also became the Player of the Match for his stunning knock. This was the highest individual score by a non-opener in a successful run-chase in T20 World Cup history as well. However, this was the second-highest score by any batter on T20 World Cup debut as well. He also hit the joint second most sixes in an innings in T20 World Cups. Gayle tops the chart with his 11 sixes.

Aaron Jones said after the game: “I don’t think it is easy to put it into words. Happy to get my team over the line. I thought anything under 200 is chaseable. We wanted to play aggressive cricket. I think I go through my process while I practice. To be honest, when my team is under pressure it gets the best out of me.”

Monank Patel said after the game: “We always we knew he (Aaron Jones) had the game. He played fearless cricket. Really happy to see the crowd in numbers, hope they continue to give us the support. We want to continue the way we play are playing (fearless cricket). We don’t want to change anything whether we play Pakistan or India.”

India captain Rohit Sharma made headlines with his kind gesture on Saturday during the India vs Bangladesh ICC T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up match. When India were fielding against Bangladesh, a pitch invader entered the field to hug Rohit Sharma.

Hardik, Rishabh stepped up with the bat

However, immediately US police ran towards him to catch him. They took him down which didn’t go down well with Rohit as it was not so nice the way the Policeman treated the pitch invader. Therefore, he requested him not to harm him, because he was just a fan, and should be treated in a good way despite entering the field.

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India, on the other hand, had a convincing 62-run victory over Bangladesh. After opting to bat, they posted a decent total of 182/5, with Rishabh Pant stealing the limelight with a swashbuckling half-century. Hardik Pandya too scored a quick 23-ball 40.

Arshdeep Singh shone with the ball

After that, while chasing, Bangladesh could only manage to post 120/8 on the board, with Mahmudullah top-scoring with a 28-ball 40 as well. For India, Arshdeep Singh did well with the new ball, while Shivam Dube and Jasprit Bumrah picked up wickets in the game as well.

After the win, Rohit Sharma said: “Quite happy with how things went, got what we wanted with the game. Important to get used to conditions. New venue, new ground and drop-in pitch. (On Pant batting at 3) Just to give him an opportunity. We haven’t nailed the batting line-up yet, we wanted most guys to get a hit in the middle. (On Arshdeep) He has shown us he has the skills upfront and also the backend, he has a very good skill set. We’ve got good 15 players here, just need to nail down the conditions and pick the best players.”