A runners-up prize, no matter how big, never tastes sweet. It, at best, sends another reminder of “what ifs”. What if India had bowled first in the final? What if Rohit Sharma had carried on on his merry way? What if Virat Kohli hadn’t dragged one back onto his stumps? What if Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav had a slip while bowling Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne? What if…
The reality, however, is often the opposite way beyond ifs and buts. Australia were the better team, not on paper, not on form but on tactics, on seizing the big moments, on rising to the occasion. The result? A record-extending sixth World Cup title. For India? Another day of collecting broken pieces. Only this time, the pieces would take longer to gather for they were so meticulously bound together throughout the tournament only to fall apart when it mattered the most.
So, when the Indian cricketers come to know about the prize money they would from ICC for ending up as the runners-up for World Cup 2023, it would do little to ease their pain. But it would serve as another reminder of their dominance right throughout the tournament.
India would get US$2 million from ICC as prize money for finishing as the runners-up of World Cup 2023. They lost the final to a dominant Australian side, which was also their only loss of the tournament. The Rohit Sharma-led side won 10 matches in a row before that including a semi-final win against New Zealand.
Before the tournament began, ICC had announced that this year, teams, for the first time, would earn for each of their victories in the group stage. The amount for the same was US$40,000. Since India won all of their nine matches in the group stage – the only team to do so – they ended up getting an additional US$360,000.
Team India’s earnings from this edition of the World Cup stood at US$23,60,000. How they would like to have swapped all of that with Australia for that World Cup trophy.
How much did Australia earn for winning World Cup 2023?
Mind you, the trophy and winners’ medal were not only crowning glory for Australia, who beat India by six wickets on Sunday in front of about 95 thousand people at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Pat Cummins-led side walked away with their own fat cheque.
Australia won US$4 million for winning the World Cup. They got an additional US$280,000 for winning seven out of their nine group-stage matches. Australia’s total earning in World Cup 2023 was US$42,80,000.
South Africa, New Zealand also win big
Apart from India and Australia, semi-finalists New Zealand and South Africa were among the biggest earners. Both of them got $800,000 each for reaching the semi-finals but the Proteas earned more because of winning more matches in the group stage. Like Australia, they earned an additional US$280,000 for winning seven matches in the group stage. The Kiwis, on the other hand, grabbed US$200,000 for their five wins.
The prize money for each group stage win meant no team in this World Cup went empty-handed. Pakistan and Afghanistan, who finished fifth and sixth in the points table with four wins in nine matches earned US$160,000 each. Defending champions earned US$120,000 for winning three matches while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands walked away with US$80,000 each for their two victories in the tournament.
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