​  Image source, PA Media10 June 2026The Women’s T20 World Cup starts on Friday, with hosts England taking on Sri Lanka in the tournament opener at Edgbaston.Six-time winners Australia start as favourites but 50-over world champions India and back-to-back finalists South Africa might have something to say about that.As for England, they sealed a big series win against India in the build-up and have never lost a World Cup when they have been the hosts. The 12-team tournament consists of two groups of six, with the top two teams from each group going through to the semi-finals before the final at Lord’s on 5 July. Former England spinner and 2017 World Cup winner Alex Hartley, who is part of the BBC Test Match Special commentary team, gives a guide to each team and shares her predictions and a player to watch from each participating side.Group One – AustraliaAustralia always start global tournaments as favourites but they have a point to prove in this one – not to anyone else, just themselves because they have fallen short recently. They lost in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in 2024 and in the 50-over tournament last year. They know they’ll have the favourites tag on them, so it’ll be interesting to see how they approach that under the new leadership of Sophie Molineux after Alyssa Healy’s retirement. Player to watch: Annabel Sutherland (all-rounder)Prediction: ChampionsIndiaThey absolutely have the potential to be double world champions. They’ve got the Women’s Premier League, so they are more used to playing under pressure and in front of crowds than arguably anyone else. There is always the question of whether they can they cope with the expectation from their fans. The 50-over World Cup win has shifted their reputation of crumbling under pressure by finally getting over the line but in T20 cricket they are still a bit too inconsistent with the ball. Their strength is in their batting – they have power hitting all the way down the order which many teams are lacking. But they are in the hardest group and I can see an upset. Player to watch: Bharti Fulmali (batter)Prediction: Group-stage exitSouth AfricaThey have made three world finals in a row now but having lost all of them, they have gained a reputation of buckling under pressure. This is the group of death so it’ll be very tough to get out of, but I think the return of Shabnim Ismail to share the new ball with Marizanne Kapp makes them formidable and they have an exceptional captain in Laura Wolvaardt.Ismail’s return could be seen as a step backwards, if you look at what it means about South Africa’s strength in depth, but without doubt she makes the team stronger. Player to watch: Shabnim Ismail (fast bowler)Prediction: Losing semi-finalists Pakistan I can see Pakistan winning a couple of games but with India, Australia and South Africa in their group, it looks almost impossible for them to reach the semi-finals. They showed at the 50-over World Cup that they have got lots of potential in   BBC Sport