The much-anticipated ninth edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is set to begin on Thursday, October 3, 2024. Originally scheduled to be held in Bangladesh, the tournament has been moved to the UAE, with matches hosted at the Dubai International Stadium and Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Here are 10 key facts about the tournament:
1. The women’s event will feature 10 teams, unlike the expanded men’s tournament. Group A includes Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Group B has Bangladesh, England, Scotland, South Africa, and the West Indies.
2. India finds itself in a challenging group alongside Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Pakistan. India begins its campaign against New Zealand on Friday (October 4), followed by clashes with Pakistan (October 6) and Sri Lanka (October 9). The much-awaited encounter against Australia is scheduled for October 13 in Sharjah.
3. Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, making every match crucial for India, with Australia a favorite to advance from Group A.
4. Australia has dominated this tournament, winning six out of the eight editions, including the last three. England and the West Indies are the only other teams to have lifted the trophy.
5. This will be the first ICC event where equal prize money is awarded to both men’s and women’s teams. The winners will receive USD 2.34 million, while the runners-up will earn USD 1.17 million.
6. The match officials for the tournament include an all-female panel of 10 umpires and three match referees. India’s GS Lakshmi and umpire Vrinda Rathi will represent the country in the officiating panel.
7. The commentary team for the tournament features India’s Mithali Raj, Anjum Chopra, and WV Raman, alongside renowned voices such as Mel Jones, Lisa Sthalekar, and Ian Bishop.
8. Matches will be broadcast on Star Sports, with live streaming on Disney+Hotstar. Day games begin at 3:30 PM IST, and evening games start at 7:30 PM IST.
9. The tournament will span from October 3 to October 20, with the final to be held at the Dubai International Stadium.
10. India’s squad, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, includes no major surprises, with players like Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, and Jemimah Rodrigues ready to challenge for the title.
India aims to build on its 2020 final appearance and has already shown strong form in warm-up matches against West Indies and South Africa.
India’s Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan.