Pakistan's Big Women's T20 World Cup Proposal Has One Condition For India

Pakistan will look to host all matches of the 2028 Women's T20 World Cup, with the United Arab Emirates being considered as the venue for matches involving India. The ICC announced on Friday that the 12-team tournament will be held from September 7 to October 1, with Pakistan as the primary host. However, it is yet to decide on a neutral venue for India's matches. Pakistan and India follow a hybrid model under which, whenever either country hosts an ICC or Asian event, the other team plays its matches at a designated neutral venue.

The arrangement has been in place since the 2025 Champions Trophy, which was hosted by Pakistan.

India played all their Champions Trophy matches in the UAE and won the final in Dubai, while Pakistan hosted 10 of the tournament's 15 matches, including a semifinal in Lahore that did not feature India.

An official source in the Pakistan Cricket Board said they were ready to host the Women's T20 World Cup but would urge the ICC to follow the same formula that was implemented during the Champions Trophy.

"We would like to host matches from both groups and the knockout matches in which the Indian team is not involved," he said.

"The UAE will probably be the neutral venue of choice for everyone because travel between Pakistan and Dubai is short and logistics become less expensive and easier to manage," he added.

India, as one of the top-ranked women's teams in the world, would be favourites to reach the knockout stage. However, if they do not qualify for the final, it would be held in Lahore, the source added.

Countries hosting an ICC event receive a hosting fee from the global governing body, in addition to funds to cover tournament-related expenses.

The source said the Women's T20 World Cup would further boost the profile of women's cricket in Pakistan, which has the talent to build a strong side for the ICC event two years from now.

The 20-team men's T20 World Cup, meanwhile, is scheduled to take place from October 12 to November 12 in Australia and New Zealand.

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