WTC final: Team India to earn big bucks despite finishing third in the World Test Championship 2023-2025 cycle, know the prize money here

South Africa and Australia are locking horns in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-2025 final which kicked off on June 11 at Lord's in London. In a game-changing move, International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a record-breaking prize money pool for the current WTC cycle.

Notably, India, who had been finalists in the previous two WTC editions, failed to qualify for the final this year for the first time. Having finished as runners-up in 2021 against New Zealand and in 2023 against Australia, the Asian giants missed another opportunity to claim the coveted mace.

In the recently concluded cycle, India's performance included a 0-3 home series whitewash against New Zealand and a 1-3 loss in the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia. This resulted in India finishing third in the WTC points table with 50% of the points earned. Despite not reaching the final, they will receive USD 1.44 million (approximately ₹12.30 crore). This represents a substantial increase from the USD 450,000 (approximately ₹3.84 crore) awarded in 2023.

The stakes for WTC cycle of 2023-25 are significantly higher, with the winner set to receive USD 3.6 million (approximately ₹30.76 crore). This is more than double the USD 1.6 million awarded to the victors of the previous edition. The runner-up will also see a substantial increase in prize money, receiving USD 2.16 million (approximately ₹18.45 Crore), up from USD 800,000 in the last cycle.

Teams finishing in the subsequent positions will also benefit from increased rewards. New Zealand, who finished fourth, will earn USD 1.44 million, a considerable rise from the USD 350,000 they received in the previous edition. Similarly, England, who finished fifth, will be awarded USD 960,000, a significant jump from their previous prize of USD 200,000.

Furthermore, the prize money distribution has been adjusted for the teams in the lower half of the table. While teams finishing sixth through ninth in the 2021-23 cycle each received USD 100,000, this edition sees a more differentiated allocation. Sri Lanka, finishing sixth, will get USD 840,000, followed by Bangladesh in seventh place with USD 720,000. West Indies, who finished eighth, will receive USD 600,000, and Pakistan, who ended in ninth place, will earn USD 480,000 in prize money.