Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 preview: Favourites, challengers and debutants

New Delhi: All roads lead to the United Arab Emirates as 10 teams prepare to battle it out for the coveted Women’s T20 World Cup trophy. The ninth edition of the tournament will begin on Thursday, October 3 in Sharjah between hosts Bangladesh and Scotland.

Bangladesh is the designated host for the 2024 edition as the tournament was originally scheduled to be held there, but due to political unrest in the country, the tournament was shifted to the UAE.

The tournament will feature 23 matches leading up to the blockbuster final in Dubai on Sunday, October 20.

As we get closer to the marquee event, here’s a look at the favourites, challengers and debutants

favorites

Australia Entering the tournament as perennial favourites, having won six of the last three editions and nine in total. Australia will lift the trophy for an unprecedented seventh time under the leadership of Alyssa Healy, with the team without their talismanic captain Meg Lanning, who hung up her boots after victory in South Africa some 18 months ago.

Australia is a six-time T20 WC champion. (Getty Images)

With a squad full of match-winners including Ellys Perry, Ashley Gardner, Beth Mooney and Grace Harris and with the experience of winning multiple titles, Australia are again the team to beat in this edition.

England Another country that has been tipped as the favorite to win the prestigious title. The Three Lionesses have not tasted success since the inaugural edition in 2009 and will end a 15-year long wait for the Women’s T20 WC Trophy. Having defeated their arch-rivals Australia in last year’s Women’s Ashes in the ODI and T20I series, England head into the tournament full of confidence. The pitches in the UAE also favor the spin trio of Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean and Sarah Glenn.

Challengers

India The UAE will look to exorcise their World Cup demons with a successful campaign under familiar conditions. It has been the closest for the Women in Blue in the past three editions. India have reached the semi-finals in the last three editions of the tournament and finished as runners-up in 2020.

In the previous edition of the tournament, India suffered semi-final heartbreak after captain Harmanpreet Singh’s unfortunate run-out cost them a huge loss against eventual winners Australia. 2020 T20 WC and 2022 Commonwealth Games – The Harmanpreet-led team aims to cross the final hurdle.

India won both their warm-up games heading into the tournament. (Getty Images)

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India will bank on their top-six batsmen, including Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and their spin-heavy bowling attack, which will play a vital role against the slower pitches in the UAE.

South Africa, It will look to cross the final hurdle after finishing runner-up in the last edition. The Proteas have the ability to compete at the highest level but may need more than that to challenge for the title.

West Indies, The 2016 champions, who have reached the semi-final stage in five of the last eight editions, will need other players to support them, such as Hayley Mathews, the World‘s No. 1 all-rounder and third-best batter. The Caribbean side will also be buoyed by the return of explosive batsman Deandra Datin, one of the most dangerous players in the short format.

West Indies won the title in 2016. (Getty Images)

Debutants

Scotland will be the only team to make their debut in this edition and become the 12th team to play in the Women’s T20 World Cup. They will actually play in the Women’s Cricket World Cup – be it 50 overs or 20 overs – for the first time. The Scots qualified for the main tournament by reaching the final of a qualifier earlier this year.

Scotland will make their World Cup debut. (Getty Images)

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groups

Each team will play four group ties with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals scheduled for October 17-18.

Group A:

Australia
India
New Zealand
Pakistan
Sri Lanka

Group B:

Bangladesh
England
Scotland
South Africa
West Indies

Full list of fixtures (Times in IST)

• Bangladesh vs Scotland (October 3, 3:30 pm, Sharjah)
• Pakistan vs Sri Lanka (October 3, 7:30 pm, Sharjah)
• South Africa vs West Indies (October 4, 3:30 pm, Dubai)
• India vs New Zealand (October 4, 7:30 pm, Dubai)
• Australia vs Sri Lanka (October 5, 3:30 pm, Sharjah)
• Bangladesh vs England (October 5, 7:30 pm, Sharjah)
• India vs Pakistan (October 6, 3:30 pm, Dubai)
• West Indies vs Scotland (October 6, 7:30 pm, Dubai)
• England vs South Africa (October 7, 7:30 pm, Sharjah)
• Australia vs New Zealand (October 8, 7:30 pm, Sharjah)
• South Africa vs Scotland (October 9, 3:30 pm, Dubai)
• India vs Sri Lanka (October 9, 7:30 pm, Dubai)
• Bangladesh vs West Indies (October 10, 7:30 pm, Sharjah)
• Australia vs Pakistan (October 11, 7:30 pm, Dubai)
• New Zealand vs Sri Lanka (October 12, 3:30 pm, Sharjah)
• Bangladesh vs South Africa (October 12, 7:30 pm, Dubai)
• England vs Scotland (October 13, 3:30 pm, Sharjah)
• India vs Australia (October 13, 7:30 pm, Sharjah)
• Pakistan vs New Zealand (October 14, 7:30 pm, Dubai)
• England vs West Indies (October 15, 7:30 pm, Dubai)
• Semifinal 1: Grp A winner vs Grp B runner-up (October 17, 7:30 pm, Dubai)
• Semifinal 2: Grp B winner vs Grp A runner-up (October 18, 7:30 pm, Sharjah)
• Final: Winner of Semifinal 1 vs Winner of Semifinal 2 (October 20, 7:30 pm, Dubai)