Biggest Women’s T20 WC – all you need to know:12 teams, 33 matches; India in ‘Group of Death’, set to face Pakistan on 14 June

The 10th Women’s T20 World Cup will begin on 12 June in England and Wales. The first match will be played between hosts England and Sri Lanka. The final will be held at Lord’s on 5 July. This time, 12 teams will play 33 matches in 24 days. This will be the biggest Women’s T20 World Cup to date. New Zealand is the defending champion of the tournament. The team won the title for the first time in 2024. Australia is the most successful team in the tournament with 6 trophies. India has never been able to win the trophy. The team has reached the semi-finals 4 times and the final once. India is in the ‘Group of Death’ this time, which includes teams like Australia and South Africa. India’s first match will be on 14 June in Birmingham. Know everything about the tournament in the story When and how did the tournament begin? The Women’s T20 World Cup was held for the first time in England in 2009. 8 teams participated in the tournament at that time. Host England became the first champion. 8 teams played until the first 3 World Cups. From 2014, the number of teams increased to 10. For the first time in 2026, 12 teams are participating. England is hosting the World Cup after 17 years. In what format will the tournament be played? 12 teams have been divided into two groups, A and B, with 6 teams in each group. In the group stage, all teams will play against each other. After this, the top-2 teams from both groups will reach the semi-finals. The team winning the semi-final will play the final. When will India’s campaign begin? The Indian team will start its campaign on 14 June with a match against Pakistan. The team’s biggest match will be against Australia on 28 June. India and South Africa will face each other on 21 June. Group A is being called the ‘Group of Death’ this time. It includes strong teams like India, Australia, and South Africa. Harmanpreet Kaur will captain the Indian team. The squad includes players like Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh, and Shreyanka Patil. What’s happening for the first time? How has India fared so far in WCs? India has played all 9 World Cups so far. The team reached the final for the first and only time in 2020. They were defeated by Australia. India has also reached the semi-finals 4 times while playing 40 matches in the tournament. Of these 40 matches, the team has won 22 and lost 18. Their winning percentage has been 55%. On which grounds will the matches be played? All 33 matches of the tournament will be played on 7 grounds in England. The final will be played at Lord’s and both semi-finals at The Oval. What time will the matches start? All T20 World Cup matches will be played at 3 PM, 7 PM, and 11 PM as per Indian Standard Time. All of India’s matches will start at 7 PM. Who is the biggest contender for the title? Six-time champions Australia are considered strong contenders. India, South Africa, and hosts England are also in the running for the title. India recently won the ODI World Cup for the first time. Meanwhile, South Africa has played in the finals of the last three ICC white-ball tournaments. How much is the Prize Money? ICC has announced a record total prize money of 87.64 lakh US dollars (approximately ₹83.74 crore) this time. The winner of the 2009 Women’s T20 World Cup received 2.34 million dollars (approximately ₹22.36 crore). Where to watch the tournament? In India, viewers can watch the live telecast of all World Cup matches on Star Sports Network and JioCinema. Additionally, ICC.TV will also live-stream the tournament. Live updates, records, and moments of the match can also be read on the Bhaskar English app.