The ninth ICC Women's T20 World Cup is set to ignite the United Arab Emirates from October 3 to 20th.
Ten teams will battle it out in a thrilling tournament featuring 23 matches across two venues, Dubai and Sharjah.
With a line-up of thrilling matches and intense competition, the ICC Women's T20 World Cup is sure to captivate fans around the globe. Stay tuned for updates and highlights as the tournament unfolds.
Ahead of the tournament, here's everything you need to know about the upcoming ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
The Groups
Group A: Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Group B: Bangladesh, England, Scotland, South Africa, West Indies
Squads
Group A
Australia: Alyssa Healy (captain), Darcie Brown, Ash Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vice captain), Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham.
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia (subject to fitness), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil (subject to fitness), Sajana Sajeevan
Travelling reserves: Uma Chetry (wicket-keeper), Tanuja Kanwer, Saima Thakor
Non-Travelling reserves: Raghvi Bist, Priya Mishra
New Zealand: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Melie Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.
Pakistan: Fatima Sana (c), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sundhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal (subject to fitness), Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan
Travelling reserve: Najiha Alvi (wicket-keeper)
Non-travelling reserves: Rameen Shamim, Umm-e-Hani.
Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Anushka Sanjeewani, Harshitha Madhavi, Nilakshika de Silva, Inoka Ranaweera, Hasini Perera, Kavisha Dilhari, Sachini Nisansala, Vishmi Gunaratne, Udeshika Prabodhani, Achini Kulasuriya, Sugandika Kumari, Inoshi Priyadharshani, Shashini Gimhani, Ama Kanchana.
Travelling reserve: Kaushini Nuthyangana
Group B
Bangladesh: Nigar Sultana Joty (c), Nahida Akter, Murshida Khatun, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Sobhana Mostary, Rabeya Khan, Sultana Khatun, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Jahanara Alam, Dilara Akter, Taj Nehar, Shathi Rani, Disha Biswas
England: Heather Knight (c), Danni Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Alice Capsey, Amy Jones (wk), Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, Sarah Glenn, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Linsey Smith, Freya Kemp, Dani Gibson, Bess Heath.
Scotland: Kathryn Bryce (c), Sarah Bryce (vc), Lorna Jack-Brown, Abbi Aitken-Drummond, Abtaha Maqsood, Saskia Horley, Chloe Abel, Priyanaz Chatterji, Megan McColl, Darcey Carter, Ailsa Lister, Hannah Rainey, Rachel Slater, Katherine Fraser, Olivia Bell.
South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnie Naidu, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon
Travelling reserve: Miane Smit.
West Indies: Hayley Matthews (c), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Shemaine Campbelle (vc, wk), Ashmini Munisar, Afy Fletcher, Stafanie Taylor, Chinelle Henry, Chedean Nation, Qiana Joseph, Zaida James, Karishma Ramharack, Mandy Mangru, Nerissa Crafton.
Format
The ICC Women's T20 World Cup will feature a group stage where the 10 participating teams are divided into two groups of five. Each team will play every other team in their group once, resulting in a total of 10 matches per group.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals. The group winner will face the runner-up from the other group in one semi-final, while the other semi-final will feature the remaining two top teams.
The winners of the semi-finals will then compete in the final match, to be held in Dubai, to determine the ultimate champion of the tournament.
Important Dates
The group stage will run from October 3rd to 15th, with each team playing every other team in their group once.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, scheduled for October 17th and 18th. The winners of the semi-finals will then face off in the final on October 20th to determine the champion.
How teams qualified
Australia, England, India, South Africa, New Zealand, and West Indies secured their places as the top six teams from the 2023 tournament.
Pakistan qualified as the highest-ranked team not already qualified at the cutoff date in February 2023. Despite the tournament being moved from Bangladesh, the host team, Nigar Sultana Joty's side, retained their spot.
The final two spots were filled by Sri Lanka and Scotland, who qualified through the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier held in the United Arab Emirates earlier in the year.
Prize money
The ICC has significantly increased the prize pool for the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup, offering a total of $7,958,080. This marks a substantial increase of over 100% compared to the 2023 edition.
The champions of the 2024 tournament will receive a massive $2.34 million, a significant jump from the prize awarded to Australia last year.
Additionally, the prize money for the finalists and semi-finalists has also been increased, along with the amounts awarded to teams based on their performance in the group stage.
This substantial increase in prize money reflects the growing importance and recognition of women's cricket on the global stage. It also serves as a motivation for teams to strive for excellence and compete at the highest level.