The BCCI has set aside a cash prize of INR 131 crore for the players and support staff who retained the men’s T20 World Cup on Sunday night in Ahmedabad. The figure, announced in a short board statement late on Monday, underlines just how much weight Indian cricket places on a tournament many thought impossible to win twice on the bounce.
“The Board congratulates the players, support staff and selectors once again on this historic achievement and wishes them continued success in the future,” the release said. It was brief, but nobody inside the team hotel needed the point labouring – they all knew how much work had gone in.
On the field, India’s 96-run victory over New Zealand felt almost routine by the end. Half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan powered the hosts to 255 for 5, a total that never really looked under threat once Jasprit Bumrah produced another of those awkward new-ball spells. His 4 for 15 ripped the heart out of the chase; by the time the spinners joined in, the contest was done.
This latest win means India now have three T20 World Cup titles – clear of West Indies and England on two apiece – and, more pointedly, they are the first men’s side to defend the crown. No previous champions had even reached the final next time round. Add in the fact they managed it at home and the milestone becomes a touch sharper.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav was already looking forward. “We’ve won it twice in a row, why not make it three times,” he said with a grin, before praising Bumrah’s nerve and applauding Samson’s calm at the top of the order.
With the Champions Trophy also in the cabinet and a home ODI World Cup scheduled for next year, talk of a multi-format treble is inevitable. The coaching staff are wary of getting ahead of themselves, yet privately admit that the current group – settled, experienced, but still young enough – should be right in the frame again.
