The UAE will host this year's Women’s T20 World Cup, starting Thursday, October 3 when Bangladesh take on Scotland in Sharjah. The October 20 final will also be held at the Dubai International Stadium.
The 10 teams will be split into two groups, with matches in Sharjah and Dubai, to decide four semi-finalists.
Why is it here?
It is the second time a T20 World Cup has taken place in the UAE without the host nation actually playing in it. In 2021, the UAE and Oman co-hosted the men’s version, after it was switched from India due to Covid precautions.
The national team had failed to qualify for that event. The women’s side suffered the same fate this time around, but only after an agonising 15-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the crucial match.
At that stage, the tournament had been planned for Bangladesh, but it was switched to the UAE due to the civil unrest in that country earlier this year.
Who will win?
If history is anything to go by, then everybody else is playing for second place behind the holders, Australia.
Of the eight Women’s T20 World Cups to have been staged so far, only two sides other than Australia have won a title.
England won the first at Lord’s in 2009, while West Indies took the 2016 title against the Aussies in India. The remaining six have all been won by Australia.
Last time around
Australia added that sixth title when they beat hosts South Africa in Cape Town at the start of last year. It was the fourth time Meg Lanning, the Singapore-born batting star, had lifted the T20 trophy as captain of Australia, and she retired in November 2023.
Prize money
The winners of the final in Dubai on October 20 will take home $2.34 million.
Tickets
Admission for matches starts from Dh5, with premium seating available for Dh40. Entry is free for anyone under the age of 18.
Tickets can be purchased nline here and kiosks will also be available at both Dubai and Sharjah stadiums.
Group A
Australia (world ranking: 1)
Player to watch: Tahlia McGrath. The multiple title winners are packed with firepower, but it was all-rounder McGrath who caught the eye on their first hit out, when they dominated England in a warm-up match in Dubai on Sunday.
India (world ranking: 3)
Player to watch: Shafali Verma. Still only 20, the free-scoring batter has already played 81 T20Is for India and is closing in on 2,000 runs.
New Zealand (world ranking: 4)
Player to watch: Sophie Devine. Recently gave up the one-day captaincy, and might be on her last assignment in charge of the T20 side, too.
Pakistan (world ranking: 8)
Player to watch: Diana Baig. The fast bowler is a dual international, having also represented Pakistan at football, and has been known to toast wickets with a Cristiano Ronaldo-style goal celebration.
Sri Lanka (world ranking: 7)
Player to watch: Udeshika Prabodhani. Chamari Athapaththu was just too obvious to pick for this. And 39-year-old left arm swing bowler Prabodhani could be potent in the steamy conditions of late UAE summer.
Group B
Bangladesh (world ranking: 9)
Player to watch: Rabeya Khan. A 19-year-old leg spinner who is the most attacking option among Bangladesh's battery of fine spin bowlers.
England (world ranking: 2)
Player to watch: Nat Sciver-Brunt. Born in Japan as the daughter of a British diplomat, she is one of the world’s leading all-rounders.
Scotland (world ranking: 12)
Player to watch: Kathryn Bryce. The all-rounder was batting with her sister Sarah, who is her vice-captain in the Scotland side, when they sealed qualification for this event in Abu Dhabi.
South Africa (world ranking: 5)
Player to watch: Laura Wolvaardt. The leading run scorer as South Africa rode a wave of home support to reach the final last year. She is now their captain, too.
West Indies (world ranking: 6)
Player to watch: Deandra Dottin. Hayley Matthews is the clear standout in the West Indies side, but the return of all-rounder Dottin is also an intriguing prospect.
Fixtures
Group A
October 3 – Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Sharjah, 6pm
October 4 – India v New Zealand, Dubai, 6pm
October 5 – Australia v Sri Lanka, Sharjah, 6pm
October 6 – Pakistan v India, Dubai, 2pm
October 8 – Australia v New Zealand, Sharjah, 6pm
October 9 – India v Sri Lanka, Dubai, 6pm
October 11 – Pakistan v Australia, Dubai, 6pm
October 12 – New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Sharjah, 6pm
October 13 – Australia v India, Sharjah, 6pm
October 14 – Pakistan v New Zealand, Dubai, 6pm
Group B
October 3 – Bangladesh v Scotland, Sharjah, 2pm
October 4 – South Africa v West Indies, Dubai, 2pm
October 5 – Bangladesh v England, Sharjah, 2pm
October 6 – Scotland v West Indies, Dubai, 6pm
October 7 – England v South Africa, Sharjah, 6pm
October 9 – Scotland v South Africa, Dubai, 2pm
October 10 – Bangladesh v West Indies, Sharjah, 6pm
October 12 – Bangladesh v South Africa, Dubai, 6pm
October 13 – England v Scotland, Sharjah, 2pm
October 15 – England v West Indies, Dubai, 6pm
Semi-finals
October 17 – Group A winner v Group B runner-up, Dubai, 6pm
October 18 – Group B winner v Group A runner-up, Sharjah, 6pm
Final
October 20 – TBD v TBD, Dubai, 6pm
WHAT%20IS%20THE%20LICENSING%20PROCESS%20FOR%20VARA%3F
%3Cp%3EVara%20will%20cater%20to%20three%20categories%20of%20companies%20in%20Dubai%20(except%20the%20DIFC)%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECategory%20A%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Minimum%20viable%20product%20(MVP)%20applicants%20that%20are%20currently%20in%20the%20process%20of%20securing%20an%20MVP%20licence%3A%20This%20is%20a%20three-stage%20process%20starting%20with%20%5B1%5D%20a%20provisional%20permit%2C%20graduating%20to%20%5B2%5D%20preparatory%20licence%20and%20concluding%20with%20%5B3%5D%20operational%20licence.%20Applicants%20that%20are%20already%20in%20the%20MVP%20process%20will%20be%20advised%20by%20Vara%20to%20either%20continue%20within%20the%20MVP%20framework%20or%20be%20transitioned%20to%20the%20full%20market%20product%20licensing%20process.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECategory%20B%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Existing%20legacy%20virtual%20asset%20service%20providers%20prior%20to%20February%207%2C%202023%2C%20which%20are%20required%20to%20come%20under%20Vara%20supervision.%20All%20operating%20service%20proviers%20in%20Dubai%20(excluding%20the%20DIFC)%20fall%20under%20Vara%E2%80%99s%20supervision.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECategory%20C%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20New%20applicants%20seeking%20a%20Vara%20licence%20or%20existing%20applicants%20adding%20new%20activities.%20All%20applicants%20that%20do%20not%20fall%20under%20Category%20A%20or%20B%20can%20begin%20the%20application%20process%20through%20their%20current%20or%20prospective%20commercial%20licensor%20%E2%80%94%20the%20DET%20or%20Free%20Zone%20Authority%20%E2%80%94%20or%20directly%20through%20Vara%20in%20the%20instance%20that%20they%20have%20yet%20to%20determine%20the%20commercial%20operating%20zone%20in%20Dubai.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
The five pillars of Islam
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3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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- Price: Not announced yet
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
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Griselda
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Age: 32
Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.
Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
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Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
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The biog
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Position: Senior lab superintendent at Emirates Global Aluminium
Education: Bachelor of science in chemical engineering, post graduate degree in light metal reduction technology
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Favourite quote: “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” Gandi
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
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Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
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- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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