AUSTRALIA BEGINS THE WOMEN'S T20 WORLD CUP AS NO. 1 WITH INDIA SURGING

Eight years after Australia started the Women's Big Bash League, India launched the Women's Premier League in 2023 along the lines of the men's IPL. That has encouraged fearless strokeplay by the likes of Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh and Harmanpreet Kaur...

- BY ANKIT SHARMA

Winning is what Australia is all about.

In the history of cricket's white-ball world championships, the Australian women have won 13. The rest of the world has won nine. This week, Australia start the 10th Women's Twenty20 World Cup ranked No. 1 and favored for a seventh title. But thanks to being cricket's financial engine, India is making up for lost time. The men have won their last two T20 World Cups, the most recent in March, and the women won their first ODI World Cup last November. That supercharged their confidence, so much so that in February, they handed Australia its first T20 bilateral series defeat since 2017 and won in Australia for the first time in a decade.

“There's a belief in the team now that we can beat anybody in this world,” India seam bowler Arundhati Reddy said.