Defeat on the field, but victory in the bank balance; How Pakistani team became rich despite being out of the World Cup, know

New Delhi. The end of T20 World Cup 2026 was like an unfulfilled dream for Pakistan cricket. The regret of not being able to cross the hurdle of Super-8 was clearly visible on the faces of the fans, but amidst this disappointment, a news has come which can be a little relief for the PCB. Even though Babar Azam’s army missed out on lifting the trophy, the team is not returning empty-handed due to ICC’s ‘Prize Money Policy’. The beginning of Pakistan’s World Cup campaign was quite aggressive. After defeating Netherlands by 3 wickets, the team defeated USA by 32 runs. However, the crushing defeat of 61 runs against India shook the team’s confidence a bit, but by making a comeback in the very next match, Pakistan maintained itself in the race for Super-8.

The real challenge began in the Super-8, where both luck and performance left us. The important match against New Zealand was lost to rain, due to which the points were divided. After this, a close 2-wicket defeat at the hands of England almost closed the doors of the semi-finals. Although the team saved its honor by defeating Sri Lanka in the final match, New Zealand won in terms of Net Run Rate (NRR) and Pakistan was out of the tournament.

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ICC will earn crores of rupees
It is said in cricket that the loser gets nothing, but ICC rules say something else. Looking at the trend of prize money for the year 2024 ($11.25 million), money is sure to be showered on the teams in 2026 also. Since Pakistan reached the Super-8 and secured a place in the 5th to 8th place bracket in the points table, it will get a guaranteed amount of US $ 3.8 lakh (approximately Rs 3.15 crore) from the ICC. This amount is given only for reaching that milestone.

pakistan cricket team

‘Winning Bonus’
ICC gives a separate reward for the victory of every match to boost the enthusiasm of the players and the board. There is a provision of approximately $ 31,154 (approximately Rs 26 lakh) for winning each group match and Super-8 match (except semi-finals/final). Pakistan won 4 matches in the entire tournament (3 in the group stage and 1 in the Super-8). According to this mathematics, the winning bonus is approximately 1.24 lakh US dollars (about Rs 1.03 crore).

What was the total earning?
If these two amounts are added, then Pakistan cricket team has been successful in collecting approximately 5.04 lakh US dollars from this World Cup. In Indian rupees this figure crosses Rs 4.18 crore. Even though crores of rupees are going to be deposited in the PCB treasury, the question is on the credibility of the team. Consecutive exits in the early stages of ICC tournaments show that now is the time not just for ‘participation’ but for delivering ‘results’. Will this prize money motivate the board to make future plans and bring changes in the team structure? It will be interesting to see.