ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Kicks Off In UAE: 10 Key Facts You Should Know

The ninth edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is set to begin, having been relocated from Bangladesh to the UAE . The tournament kicks off on Thursday, with matches being hosted across Dubai and Sharjah.

Here are 10 important facts you should know about the event:

The women's tournament will feature 10 teams, unlike the men’s event, which was expanded for its 2024 edition. Group A comprises Australia , India , New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, while Group B includes Bangladesh, England, Scotland, South Africa, and the West Indies.

India finds itself in a challenging group alongside Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. They will face New Zealand first on October 4, followed by Pakistan on October 6. Their third match, a rematch of the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka, will take place on October 9. The much-anticipated clash against Australia is slated for October 13 in Sharjah.

Only two teams from each group will progress to the semifinals , and with Australia being favorites, India cannot afford to lose any ground early on.

Australia has dominated this tournament, winning six of the eight editions, including the last three. The only other champions are England (2009) and the West Indies (2016).

For the first time in ICC history, women will receive the same prize money as their male counterparts. The tournament champions will take home USD 2.34 million, while the runners-up will receive USD 1.17 million. This decision, announced in July 2023, comes into effect for this edition.

The officiating team will be made up entirely of women, with 10 umpires and three match referees. India’s GS Lakshmi and umpire Vrinda Rathi will represent the country. Additionally, the Decision Review System (DRS) will be available at all 28 matches, equipped with the Hawk-eye Smart Replay system.

The commentary team will feature a mix of past players and familiar voices, including Mithali Raj, Anjum Chopra, WV Raman, Mel Jones, and Lisa Sthalekar. Other notable figures such as Ian Bishop, Nasser Hussain, and Sana Mir will also provide insights.

Viewers in India can catch the matches on Star Sports or stream them live on Disney+ Hotstar. Day matches will begin at 3:30 PM IST, and evening games will start at 7:30 PM IST.

Following its relocation from Bangladesh, the tournament will take place in two venues: Sharjah Cricket Stadium and the Dubai International Stadium , which will host the final on October 20.

India’s squad for the tournament is unchanged from their recent successes. After winning both of their warm-up matches against the West Indies and South Africa, India enters the competition with high hopes of improving on their 2020 runner-up finish.

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.