The Indian women’s cricket team left for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup on Saturday as excitement builds ahead of the tournament in England and Wales from June 12 to July 5. Fans gathered in Mumbai to give the Women in Blue an emotional send-off before the team departed for one of the biggest events in world cricket.
Led by veteran captain Harmanpreet Kaur, India will compete in a difficult Group 1 that includes defending giants Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Netherlands.
India will begin their campaign with a blockbuster clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 14 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. The match is expected to draw massive attention as the two rivals meet once again on the global stage.
After the Pakistan encounter, India will face the Netherlands in Leeds before travelling to Manchester for key matches against South Africa and Bangladesh. The team will then conclude its group-stage campaign with a major showdown against Australia in London on June 28.
Harmanpreet Backs India’s Title Chances
Ahead of the tournament, Harmanpreet expressed strong belief in the squad’s ability to challenge for the title. The Indian captain said the team has enough talent and balance to become world champions but insisted that staying calm will be crucial in T20 cricket.
“I will definitely rate this team as favourites and the team we picked today, they have the calibre to become champions. No pressure, no overconfidence. T20 cricket is only about playing good cricket,” she said.
India will rely heavily on experienced stars like Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma to deliver under pressure during the tournament.
England Series To Offer Crucial Preparation
Before the World Cup begins, India Women will play a three-match T20I series against the England women's cricket team in England. The series starts on May 28, while the remaining matches will take place on May 30 and June 2.
The series will give India valuable match practice in English conditions ahead of the World Cup.
However, India enter the tournament after a disappointing T20I series against the South Africa women's cricket team. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side suffered a 4-1 series defeat against the team captained by Laura Wolvaardt.
Despite the recent setback, India will hope to regain confidence quickly and make a strong push for their first-ever Women’s T20 World Cup title.