The 13th edition of the Women’s One-Day International (ODI) World Cup begins today, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, with Bangladesh among the eight participating teams.

Led by Nigar Sultana, Bangladesh are making their second appearance in the tournament. They will open their campaign on Thursday in Colombo against Pakistan — the side they defeated for their only victory in their maiden World Cup in 2022.

Regardless of results, the team will not return empty-handed this time. Simply by participating, Bangladesh are guaranteed nearly 30.2 million taka (approximately USD 270,000), with an additional 4.16 million taka awarded for every match victory.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a record total prize pool of 1.6815 billion taka (about USD 15 million) for the tournament — the largest in women’s cricket history. The champions, to be crowned in the November 2 final, will receive around 542.6 million taka (USD 4.8 million), an amount that surpasses even the prize money awarded to Spain after winning the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Prize money for this edition has increased by nearly 297 percent compared with 2022, and is significantly higher than the rewards on offer at the men’s ODI World Cup in 2023. The ICC hopes the record incentives will elevate women’s cricket to new heights and encourage stronger challenges to Australia’s long-standing dominance.

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