A couple of decades back, Test cricket and one-day cricket were the main formats of the game. However, the advent of T20 cricket has changed the gentleman’s game, making it a completely different cup of tea. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that cricket is heading the football way gradually, with leagues gaining prominence over international matches. New Zealand pacer Trent Boult giving up his central contract to focus on T20 leagues, and Colin de Grandhomme announcing his retirement point towards the same. In this feature, we look at five domestic leagues which offer the most prize money.
1. Indian Premier League (IPL) – Rs 46.5 crore
It is no surprise that the Indian Premier League (IPL), the most lucrative T20 tournament in the world, tops the list. The prize money for the winners of IPL 2022 was Rs 20 crore, while runners-up got Rs 13 crore. The team that lost Qualifier 2 received a prize money of Rs 7 crore, while the team that lost the Eliminator got a prize money of Rs 6.5 crore. The winners of the IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple Cap earned Rs 15 lakh each, while the Emerging Player of the Tournament was given Rs 20 lakh. The total prize pool in the IPL was a whopping Rs 46.5 crore.
2. Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) – Rs 12.3 crore
The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) began in 2012. The tournament is not termed among the most lucrative ones, but it does offer good prize money. The total sum given away via the BPL is a more than decent $1.55 Million (or Rs 12.3 crore approx.). The break up of prize money in the tournament is as follows. Champions – $850,000, Runner-ups – $350,000, 3rd Place – $200,000, 4th Place – $150,000.
3. Big Bash League (BBL) – Rs 7.03 crore
The Big Bash League (BBL) is perhaps the second most popular T20 league in the world after the IPL. Although most of Australia’s big names are unavailable for the tournament due to international assignments, the quality of the event is excellent. As per reports, the total prize money offered in the BBL is $890,000 (Rs 7.03 crore). BBL winners receive $450,000, while the runner-ups are awarded $220,000. The semi-finalists get $80,000 each, while the team placed fifth is given $20,000.
4. The Hundred – Rs 5.56 crore
The ECB’s ambitions The Hundred competition offers a prize pool of £600,000 (Rs 5.56 crore). For 2022, ECB announced that the Men’s And Women’s cricket competition winners would have the same prize money to promote equality. The total sum of prize money has been divided into two equal parts. The winners (men and women) get £150,000, and runners-up (men and women) are awarded £75,000. The team coming third wins £50,000. There is also a prize of £10,000 for the Most Valuable Player (MVP). The leading run-scorer is awarded £5,000. Players like Joe Root and Heather Knight posed with gestures of ‘=’ with their hands to promote the initiative of equality by ECB.
5. Pakistan Super League (PSL) – Rs 4.45 crore
The Prize Money for Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 was 112 million PK (Pakistan rupees). Winners of PSL 2021 got 80 million PKR, and the team that finished second received 35 million PKR. The total prize money of PSL 2022 was raised from 112 million PKR to 130 million PKR (Rs 4.45 crore). The winner of PSL 2022 got PKR 80 million (Rs 3.40 crore approx), while the runners-up got PKR 32 million (Rs 1.36 crore approx.) The Player of the Tournament got PKR 3 million (Rs 12.74 lakh approx.). Similar awards were given for batter of the tournament, bowler of the tournament, and wicketkeeper of the tournament.