ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024: India To Kick Off Tournament Against New Zealand, Clash With Pakistan Set For October 6

India will begin its ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign on October 4 in Dubai against New Zealand, followed by a high-stakes match against Pakistan on October 6 at the same venue. The team’s third match is set for October 9 against Sri Lanka in Dubai, and they will conclude the group stage with a clash against defending champions Australia in Sharjah on October 13.

Originally scheduled to be held in Bangladesh, the tournament was relocated to the United Arab Emirates a few weeks ago. Prior to the main event, India will play warm-up matches against the West Indies and South Africa on September 29 and October 1, respectively, at the ICC Academy grounds.

The tournament’s two semifinals will be hosted in Dubai and Sharjah on October 17 and 18, with the final scheduled for October 20 in Dubai.

In the 2023 edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup, held in South Africa, India was narrowly defeated by Australia by five runs in the first semifinal. India had started the tournament with a seven-wicket win over Pakistan and a six-wicket victory against the West Indies, but lost by 11 runs to England in their third match. They rebounded with a win over Ireland to secure a semifinal spot.

India’s best performance came in the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia, where they reached the final for the first time but finished as runners-up after a 85-run loss to Meg Lanning’s Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 8, 2020.