The Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 is set to kick off in Sri Lanka this Friday, with the Indian women’s cricket team looking to defend their title as they open their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan.

This will be the ninth edition of the continental cricket tournament and will feature the top eight cricket teams from across Asia.

The Indian cricket team won the last Women’s Asia Cup held in 2022, defeating Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the final at Bangladesh’s Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

Sri Lanka is hosting the tournament this year, with the eight participating nations divided into two groups of four teams each. Each team will compete against the others once during the group stage.

India has been placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Nepal, and the UAE. They will begin their journey against Pakistan on July 19, followed by matches against the UAE on July 21 and Nepal on July 23.

Following the group stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, scheduled for July 26. The final will take place at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on July 28.

India stands out as the most successful team in Women’s Asia Cup history, having lifted the trophy seven times. Bangladesh has one title to their name, while Sri Lanka, despite reaching five finals, is still seeking their first win. Pakistan has played in the finals twice.

Leading the 15-member squad for India in the Women’s Asia Cup T20 2024 is Harmanpreet Kaur, with Smriti Mandhana serving as her deputy.

India Squad:
Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Vice-Captain), Richa Ghosh (Wicket-Keeper), Uma Chetry (Wicket-Keeper), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajeevan Sajana.