ICC announce prize money for ICC Champions Trophy 2017, winners will pocket $2.2 Million
What’s the story?
The winner of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 will pocket $2.2 million (approx INR 14 crore) after the ICC announced the prize money on offer ahead of the eighth edition of the tournament, that begins on June 1. In total, the prize pool for the entire tournament is $4.5 million, which is more than it was for the previous Champions Trophy, which was also held in England.
An ICC statement read: "The upcoming ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales from 1-18 June carries a total prize money of $4.5 million with the winner of the eight-team tournament taking home a cheque of $2.2 million”.
Overall, there is an increase of $500,000 in prize money from the previous edition. The runner-up of the eighth edition of the Champions Trophy will pocket $1.1 million, while the other two semifinalists will get a cheque of $450,000 each. Among the teams who don’t make it to the semi-final, the teams finishing third in each group will earn $90,000 each, while the teams that finish last in each group will take home $60,000 each.
Extra Cover: ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Schedule: Full time table with venue ground details, PDF download
The Details
The ICC Champions Trophy which gets underway on June 1 will see eight teams split into two groups, fighting for the coveted prize. In Group A, hosts England are alongside Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh. Whereas Group B sees India along with Sri Lanka, South Africa and Pakistan. The two sides that top each group will go through to the semi-final where the winner of Group B takes on the runner-up from Group A and vice versa.
In case you didn’t know...
India are the reigning champions and will look to defend their crown beginning with a game against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 4. Earlier in the month, ICC announced the prize pool for the Women’s World Cup which will also take place in England in June. The prize money was doubled from the original amount of $1 million to $2 million. The amount is 10 times as much as the prize pool for the last World Cup that took place in 2013 when Australia beat West Indies.
What's next?
Six of the eight teams taking part in the tournament will play warm-up matches in the week leading up to June 1, while England and South Africa will take on each other in a three-match ODI series prior to the tournament. It all kicks off on June 1 as England take on Bangladesh in the tournament opener.
Author's Take
The fact that the prize money for the whole tournament was increased is a great move by the ICC. But the fact that the winner of the ICC Champions Trophy will make more money than the entire prize pool for the Women’s World Cup that will take place in England in late June just highlights the gulf in pay between the men’s and the women’s game.