NEW DELHI: India may have missed out on a place in the World Test Championship final for the first time, but they have still secured a hefty payout of USD 1.44 million (approximately Rs 12.32 crore) for finishing third in the 2023–25 WTC cycle. The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday announced a record prize pool of USD 5.76 million for the final of this edition of the championship — more than double the total prize money distributed in each of the previous two editions.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The two finalists, Australia and South Africa, are set to clash at Lord’s in June. The winner of the WTC final will receive USD 3.6 million (Rs 30.80 crore approx.) and runners-up USD 2.16 million (Rs 18.48 crore approx.). Who’s that IPL player?The third-placed India leads the remaining group of teams, followed by New Zealand (USD 1.2 million) and England (USD 960,000).This is the first time India won’t feature in the WTC final, after reaching the title clash in both 2021 and 2023. In this cycle, the Rohit Sharma-led side played 19 matches, winning nine, losing eight, and drawing two to end with a percentage point tally of 50.00. South Africa topped the standings with 69.44 percentage points, followed by Australia with 67.54. South Africa qualified on the back of series wins over Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, along with a drawn series against India. Australia, meanwhile, had a strong campaign, with series wins at home and away, including a sweep of Pakistan and victories in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

ICC Chair Jay Shah lauded the quality of competition and the expanded prize pool, calling the WTC final a “true celebration of cricket” and expressing confidence that the match at Lord’s will deliver top-class Test action for fans worldwide. The final will be played from June 11 to 15, with June 16 kept as the reserve day.

ICC World Test Championship prize money: