A person rides on a motorbike past a wall with a billboard advertisment ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tournament, in Karachi, Pakistan on February 13, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Winners of the upcoming Champions Trophy will walk away with a whopping $2.24 million cash reward after the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a 53% hike in its prize money pool for the eight-team tournament starting February 19.
The winners’ purse would be close to ₹20 crore. The runners-up will receive half the amount, $1.12 million (₹9.72 crore), while each losing semi-finalist will take home $560,000 (₹4.86 crore). The total prize pool has increased to $6.9 million (₹60 crore approx).
Also read | Full schedule of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025
“The substantial prize pot underscores the ICC’s ongoing commitment to investing in the sport and maintaining the global prestige of our events,” ICC chairman Jay Shah said in a statement ahead of the tournament which will be held in Pakistan and the UAE.
Each group stage win would be worth over $34,000 (₹30 lakh) for the victorious team.
Teams finishing in fifth or sixth place will receive $350,000 each (₹ 3 crore), while the seventh and eighth-placed sides will take home $140,000 (₹1.2 crore).
Additionally, all eight teams will receive a guaranteed $125,000 each (₹1.08 crore) for participating in the event.
This tournament marks the first time Pakistan will host an ICC event since 1996. However, India will play all their matches in Dubai owing to security concerns related to travelling to Pakistan. Rohit Sharma’s men will begin their campaign on February 20 against Bangladesh.
The Pakistan leg will feature games in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.
The 2025 edition features eight teams split into two groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals.
“The ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 represents a pivotal moment for cricket, reviving a tournament that highlights the pinnacle of ODI talent, where every match is critical,” the ICC chairman emphasised in his statement.
“Beyond the financial incentive, this tournament ignites fierce competition, captivates fans worldwide, and plays a vital role in fostering the growth and long-term sustainability of cricket for future generations,” Shah added.
The men’s Champions Trophy was held every four years from 2009 to 2017 before a COVID disruption and deliberations on its relevance led to it being postponed. The tournament was first introduced as a biennial event in 1998.
The women’s Champions Trophy will make its debut in 2027 in the T20 format.
Published – February 14, 2025 01:28 pm IST
Content Source: www.thehindu.com