What is the Women's T20 World Cup?

This tournament is played in the shortest format of international cricket, with each team batting for 20 overs (120 deliveries) to decide the winner. The first women's tournament took place in England in 2009. Since then it has been played in India, Sri Lanka, the West Indies, Bangladesh and South Africa. Australia have won it six times (2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2023), England once (2009) and West Indies once (2016).

The 10 teams are split in to two groups, with each team in that group playing each other once. This year, Group A contains Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, while Group B features Bangladesh, England, Scotland, South Africa and the West Indies. The top two teams from each group will contest the semifinals and the winners of that match will meet in the final.

The overall winners will recieve $2.34 million (€2.1 million) from a total prize pool just short of $8 million, nearly double that of the previous tournament, in 2023. The men’s version, held in the USA earlier this year, had a prize pool of $11.25m and the winners, India, received $2.45 million.

When and where is the Women's T20 World Cup?

The tournament starts on October 3 with Bangladesh vs. Scotland and will conclude on October 20 with the final. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is hosting, with the games set to be played at the Sharjah Stadium and the Dubai International Stadium.

Bangladesh had initially been made hosts for the second time but the civil unrest in the country which saw Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, flee for India made that impossible.

"I would like to thank the team at the BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) for exploring all avenues to try and enable the event to be hosted in Bangladesh, but travel advisories from the governments of a number of the participating teams meant that wasn't feasible," said Geoff Allardice, the chief executive of organizers the International Cricket Council (ICC) in August.

Who are the contenders?

Given their history, and general dominance of the women's game, Australia will go in as favorites. England are ranked second by the ICC and have been well resourced for a number of years. India sit just behind them in the rankings and perhaps enter the tournament with the most pressure on them, having failed to win a major women's tournament in any format despite the predominance of the sport in the country. Funding has recently increased for the women's side and the slower, spin-friendly pitches in the UAE should suit India.

The change of hosts may also help Scotland and Sri Lanka. The pair were the only two sides to make it through qualification (the other places are decided by ICC rankings, the host nation and the holders) and battled through the process on the same pitches, and in the same stadiums, where the tournament will now be held.

Who are the players to watch?

Alyssa Healy, the Australian captain, enjoyed a great tournament in 2023 and will likely be among the runs again, while Ellyse Perry, who also represented Australia at football, is perhaps the best female cricketer of all time. India will look to spinner Deepti Sharma to take control with the ball on friendly wickets and make valuable contributions with the bat alongside veteran captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Hayley Matthews is an exceptional and experienced all-rounder for the West Indies.

England will rely heavily on their bowling, with slow left-armer Sophie Ecclestone ranked number 1 in the world going in to the tournament. Inoshi Fernando (Sri Lanka) and Sadia Iqbal (Pakistan) likely hold the hopes of their respective teams in their hands while Laura Wolvaardt will captain and open the batting for South Africa.

What are the key matches in the group stage?

Anyone who has followed cricket knows that India vs. Pakistan is always a match to look out for. India have a strong record against their neighbors but Pakistan are improving. The two meet on October 6. The battle of the only two non-Australian world champions will also be fascinating, with England meeting the West Indies on October 15. Finally, the Trans-Tasman clash between Australia and New Zealand could be key in Group A, and that game is on October 8.

Edited by: Jonathan Harding