T20 World Cup 2024: India to play New Zealand in their opening game

The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Sunday, May 5, revealed the groups and the schedule of the ninth edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup which is to be hosted by Bangladesh. Ten teams will play 23 matches from October 3 to 20 across 19 days in Sylhet and Dhaka. Heather Knight’s England are set to face the last edition’s runners-up South Africa to kick off the World Cup campaign in Dhaka on October 3.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday (May 5) revealed the groups and the schedule of the ninth edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup which is to be hosted by Bangladesh. Heather Knight’s England are set to face the last edition’s runners-up South Africa to kick off the World Cup campaign in Dhaka on October 3 and the hosts Bangladesh will take on Qualifier 2 on the same day.

"We are thrilled at the announcement of the fixture schedule for the ninth ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. For the country, it’s an honour to host such a prestigious event, where our passionate fans can experience the best of international women’s cricket firsthand,” Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty said at the ICC event while announcing the fixtures.

Six-time winners Australia have been placed alongside 2020 runners-up India, Pakistan, New Zealand and a qualifier team in Group A. Meanwhile, England and South Africa have been paired with 2016 champions West Indies, hosts Bangladesh and a second qualifier team in Group B.

India will start their campaign against New Zealand on October 4 and they will play all their matches in Sylhet.

"I'm thrilled at the prospect of competing in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Bangladesh later this year. The growth of women's cricket over the past few years and especially Women's World Cups have been incredible. I am sure this event will be no different with competitive and high energy cricket to entertain the world,” Harmanpreet Kaur, Indian captain, said.



Sri Lanka and Scotland have qualified for the event from the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier tournament. The pair is to be placed in their respective groups following the Qualifier final. The winners of the final will join Group A, while the runners-up will be placed in Group B. 

Each team will play four group matches in the tournament. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals that will be held on October 17 and October 18. The final will take place on October 20 in Dhaka. There will be reserve days for the semi-finals and the final.

Groups:

Group A - Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan,  Qualifier 1

Group B - England, South Africa, West Indies, Bangladesh, Qualifier 2

Fixtures:

October 3: England vs South Africa, Dhaka

October 3: Bangladesh vs Qualifier 2, Dhaka

October 4: Australia vs Qualifier 1, Sylhet

October 4: India vs New Zealand, Sylhet

October 5: South Africa vs West Indies, Dhaka

October 5: Bangladesh vs England, Dhaka

October 6: New Zealand vs Qualifier 1, Sylhet

October 6: India vs Pakistan, Sylhet

October 7, West Indies vs Qualifier 2, Dhaka

October 8: Australia vs Pakistan, Sylhet

October 9: Bangladesh vs West Indies, Dhaka

October 9: India vs Qualifier 1, Sylhet

October 10: South Africa vs Qualifier 2, Dhaka

October 11: Australia vs New Zealand, Sylhet

October 12: England vs West Indies, Dhaka

October 12: Bangladesh vs South Africa, Dhaka

October 13: Pakistan vs New Zealand, Sylhet

October 13: India vs Australia, Sylhet

October 14: England vs Qualifier 2, Dhaka

October 17: Semifinal 1, Sylhet

October 18: Semifinal 2, Dhaka

October 20: Final, Dhaka