Former England captain Nasser Hussain has thrown his full support behind Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old batting prodigy, for an India call-up. Hussain backed the 15-year-old to don the India colours sooner rather than later following a breathtaking IPL campaign in which he emerged as the tournament’s leading run-getter.

Sooryavanshi notched up 776 runs in 16 matches for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2026 at an astonishing strike rate of 237.30, while his tally of 72 sixes was the highest by a player in a single edition of the tournament. 

“Such an easy answer to give to that is that yes, he has to play. I didn’t watch too much of the IPL to be honest, but I watched clips of Sooryavanshi and what an incredible talent,” Hussain said in the latest edition of The ICC Review. 

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Huge Admiration For Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Notably, Sooryavanshi is certainly not short of admirers, with former India head coach Ravi Shastri already tipping him for an India debut, while more recently, batting great Sachin Tendulkar was also full of praise for the teenager’s extraordinary talent and fearless approach. 

“One of my first games for England was in the Nehru Cup, that’s how long ago it was, and this young lad strode out with pads on that I’d never seen before, and his name was Sachin Tendulkar,” Hussain recalled.

“And I was in complete awe and I’ve noticed Sachin putting out some tweets about Sooryavanshi’s bat swing and if you can impress Sachin Tendulkar and if you can impress Virat Kohli and the rest, he’s impressed everyone. What an unbelievable talent,” he added.

Sooryavanshi is the latest name in an envious list of batting talents for India in the shortest format with the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan all having featured at the top of the order in recent times.  

Sooryavanshi Can’t Be Overlooked 

Despite the competition, Nasser Hussain believes a talent as special as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi cannot be overlooked and feels India must find a place for the youngster in their playing XI.

“So anywhere else in the world you would say get him in. But usually at the toss you just have to name 11 players. In international cricket, who do you leave out for him? 

India have a list of batters they could play and should play, but in the end, someone makes such a case, such a consistent case, and such an incredible case for being picked. In the end, you have to say, I don’t care who we’re leaving out, this lad has to play,” Hussain believes. 

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Sooryavanshi In Unfamiliar Conditions

The former England captain added that while Sooryavanshi is yet to fully showcase his skills outside India and in unfamiliar conditions, he believes the youngster has everything in his arsenal to succeed at the highest level, pointing to his performances at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Zimbabwe earlier this year as proof of his ability to perform in different environments. 

“And I’m getting towards that stage where you say this lad has to play because there are other challenges doing it away from home. Doing it against a ball that’s moving around, having an eventual downturn in form, which he’s not had yet, finding a weakness, maybe the short ball, who knows?” said Hussain. 

“But he needs to get through all of that before you get to a world event and he’s going to be a star. We saw it in the U19 World Cup. We saw what he did to England in the U19 World Cup, to everyone, but England in particular. My word, this lad is a talent and he has to play,” he added. 

Sooryavanshi was part of India’s U19 World Cup-winning squad earlier this year, playing a major role in their win against England in the final, registering the highest-ever score in the summit clash’s history.

Following his recent heroics with the bat, the power-packed batter has been included in the India A squad for the upcoming tri-series against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan starting June 9.

The stage is set for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, which is scheduled to be played from June 12 in England and Wales. The 10th edition of the tournament is bound to be the biggest-ever with the most number of participating teams ever (12) to go with a record-prize money pool up for grabs. 

The previous edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE saw New Zealand being crowned winners for the first time, making them only the fourth team to have won the tournament since its inception in 2009. 

England and West Indies have also won the title once each back in 2009 and 2016. Australia, on the other hand, have been the most successful team in the competition, having lifted the trophy six times. 

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Here’s everything – dates, venues, squads, groups, format, prize money – you need to know about the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026: 

Format

A record total of 12 teams will participate in the upcoming tournament, most in a single edition of a Women’s T20 World Cup. While hosts England sealed automatic qualification, Sri Lanka, West Indies, India, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan and New Zealand booked their ticket on the virtue of their world rankings.

Bangladesh, Scotland, Ireland and tournament debutants the Netherlands confirmed their qualification via the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier earlier this year. 

The 12 teams have been divided into two groups of six teams each. During the group stage, the teams will face each other in a round robin format, following which the top two from each group will progress through to the semi-finals, making way for the eventual finalists.

Venues

The 33 matches of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 will be played at seven venues across England. These are the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester, Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Bristol County Ground in Bristol, Hampshire Bowl in Southampton, and The Oval, as well as Lord’s in London.

While the two semi-finals will be played at The Oval on June 30 and July 2, the Final will be staged at Lord’s on July 5. 

First-timers

Making their debut at the tournament are the Netherlands, who secured their spot after finishing fourth at the Global Qualifiers earlier this year behind Bangladesh, Ireland and Scotland. 

Dutch skipper Babette de Leede has conceded that her team are looking to make an impression in their first outing on the big stage. 

“Our goal is to win at least two games and end in the top eight, so that we automatically qualify for the next T20 World Cup,” De Leede wrote in her column for the ICC.

“Playing as the newcomer and underdogs, as the lowest-ranked team, might work in our favour to surprise some teams and cause some upsets. In any event, it will be valuable for us to meet some of our idols and learn from them,” she added.

Hosts

The Women’s T20 World Cup has returned to England for the first time since the inaugural edition back in 2009. When they previously staged the tournament, the hosts had emerged as the first-ever winners, coincidentally under the captainship of Charlotte Edwards, who is now the head coach of England Women. 

England will also take inspiration from their ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup win at home in 2017.

Squads

All 12 participating teams have submitted their final squads for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, starting with the hosts England and Sri Lanka being the latest to announce their 15-member squad. 

All of them are listed as follows: 

GROUP 1:

AUSTRALIA: Sophie Molineux (c), Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

BANGLADESH: Nigar Sultana Joty (c), Nahida Akter (vc), Sharmin Akter Supta, Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Rabeya Khan, Fahima Khatun, Fariha Islam Trisna, Marufa Akter, Shanjida Akther Maghla, Sultana Khatun, Dilara Akter, Juairiya Ferdous, Taj Nehar

INDIA: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Shree Charani, Yastika Bhatia, Nandani Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Kranti Gaud, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav

NETHERLANDS: Babette de Leede (c), Caroline de Lange, Frédérique Overdijk, Hannah Landheer, Heather Siegers, Iris Zwilling, Isabel van der Woning, Lara Leemhuis, Myrthe van den Raad, Phebe Molkenboer, Robine Rijke, Rosalie Lawrence, Sanya Khurana, Silver Siegers, Sterre Kalis

PAKISTAN: Fatima Sana (c), Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Iram Javed, Eyman Fatima, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Parvaiz, Saira Jabeen, Muneeba Ali, Tuba Hassan, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Nashra Sandhu, Diana Baig, Tasmia Rubab

SOUTH AFRICA: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Kayla Reyneke, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon, Dane van Nierkerk

GROUP 2:

ENGLAND: Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Dani Gibson, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Heather Knight, Linsey Smith, Issy Wong, Danni Wyatt-Hodge

IRELAND: Gaby Lewis (c), Ava Canning, Christina Coulter Reilly, Alana Dalzell, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Louise Little, Aimee Maguire, Lara McBride, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Rebecca Stokell, Alice Tector

NEW ZEALAND: Melie Kerr (c), Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine, Flora Devonshire, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Nensi Patel, Georgia Plimmer, Izzy Sharp, Lea Tahuhu

SCOTLAND: Kathryn Bryce (c), Chloe Abel, Olivia Bell, Sarah Bryce, Darcey Carter, Priyanaz Chatterji, Gabriella Fontenla, Katherine Fraser, Kirstie Gordon, Ailsa Lister, Maisie Maceira, Abtaha Maqsood, Megan McColl, Rachel Slater, Pippa Sproul

SRI LANKA: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Hasini Perera, Vishmi Gunarathne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Imesha Dulani, Nilakshika Silva, Kaveesha Dilhari, Hansima Karunarathne, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Sugandika Dassanayaka, Nimasha Madushani, Shashini Gimhani, Kawya Kavindi, Malki Madara, Mithali Ayodhya 

WEST INDIES: Hayley Matthews (c), Chinelle Henry, Deandra Dottin, Stafanie Taylor, Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Jannillea Glasgow, Jahzara Claxton, Qiana Joseph, Zaida James, Mandy Mangru, Shawnisha Hector

Prize money

The ICC announced a record prize money pot of US$8,764,615 for the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup. This marks a 10 per cent increase from the previous edition in 2024. 

The winners will once again take home $2,340,000, with the runners up receiving $1,170,000. The losing semi-finalists will earn $675,000, while every group match win will earn teams $31,154. All 12 participating teams will earn an assured minimum prize pot of $247,500.

The move from the world cricket’s governing council aligns with the mission of the continuous growth of the women’s game. 

Broadcast Details 

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 will be broadcast live around the world through various rights holders. ICC.tv will also stream the tournament across various countries, making the 10th edition of the T20 World Cup accessible for viewers around the world. 

In India, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 is available across both television networks and streaming platforms. 

On Television (Live Broadcast): The tournament in India will be broadcast live across the Star Sports Network

On Digital / Live Streaming: Every match in India will be streamed live digitally on the JioHotstar app and website.