ICC Women’s T20 Cup: Harmanpreet’s army is ready, but there is a tough competition with these 4 teams; Sri Lanka can become ‘dark horse’

Bengaluru: Will India be able to complete the historic ‘double’ (winning two major titles simultaneously)? Will Australia be able to regain its lost ground? Will South Africa, which always misses the final stage, make headlines this time? Or will an underdog team pull off a thrilling win? There are many exciting possibilities for the 10th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, starting on June 12 in England, and PTI takes a look at the contenders and their challenges.

India’s chance for a historic double

After winning the ODI World Cup last year, India will be keen to complete a wonderful ‘double’ by registering victory in the T20 format. Only Australia has been able to accomplish such a feat. The team captained by Harmanpreet Kaur has the ability to do so as proved by their home series wins against Sri Lanka and Australia in the last six months. But India had to face defeat against South Africa (4-1) and England (2-1) on their soil. The team will also miss fast bowling all-rounder Amanjot Kaur, who could have played an important role in English conditions. The Indian team will hope that the batsmen will pick up the rhythm from the beginning and the fast bowling trio of Renuka Singh, Arundhati Reddy and Kranti Gaur will be able to bowl brilliant spells. Some of the key players like Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh have played in ‘The Hundred’ and ‘Kia Super League’ and that experience will come in handy.

Australia will give a tough challenge

The six-time champion team has got a new captain in the form of Sophie Molineau after the retirement of Alyssa Healy. But Australia’s real strength is their familiar and trusted core team which includes Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Ashley Gardner, Megan Schutt, Elena King and Beth Mooney. The team has become stronger with the arrival of opening batsman Georgia Voll and left arm fast bowler Lucy Hamilton. The Australian team is entering an ICC competition without any trophy for the first time since 2017 and they would definitely like to change this situation.

New Zealand team is no less than anyone

The defending champions are coming in with a team that has the right mix of experience and youthful enthusiasm and it will not be easy to beat them. New Zealand’s hopes will mainly rest on Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Lia Tahuhu. The team wants to win the title for this trio as they will move away from this format after this tournament. The team has high expectations from all-rounder Amelia Kerr as her performance with the bat has been excellent recently. She was the best player of the final and tournament in 2024. His credentials and skills have further improved in the last two years.

What is England’s planning?

The hosts will keep an eye on the fitness of regular captain Nate Sciver Brunt, who missed the recent series against India. Hopefully she will be fit for the tournament. But England, under the captaincy of Charlie Dean, proved in that series that they could win even without Sciver Brunt. The team came back from 0-1 down and won 2-1. The team also has excellent players like Alice Capsey, Sophie Ecclestone, Lindsay Smith, Freya Kemp and experienced players Heather Knight and Danny Watt-Hodge.

South Africa trying to win its first title

In an attempt to win their first title, South Africa have included experienced fast bowler Shabnim Ismail in the team but their real strength is players like Nadine de Klerk, Sune Luus, Chloe Tryon and Dane Van Niekerk who can perform brilliantly in any phase of the game. South Africa, captained by the composed Laura Vollwart, has a capable bowling unit in the form of Marijne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka and Aneri Derksen. The team has got a place in the group of India and Australia, so they will have to be alert all the time to make it to the semi-finals.

Sri Lanka is a dark horse

Sri Lankan team is in great form before the World Cup. The team has won five matches at home against Bangladesh and West Indies. Sri Lanka’s biggest star is captain Chamri Atapattru who will have to play an important role with the bat in the tournament. However, the team has managed to reduce its dependence on this star player in the last few years. Sri Lanka has produced talented players like Hasini Perera, Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshika Silva and Kavisha Dilhari. However, the team does not have a reliable fast bowling attack, so the spinners will be expected to keep the opposition in check. It is a matter of debate how much impact the slow bowlers will be able to make in England. This may prove to be the team’s weakness in the tournament.