ICC Chairman Jay Shah celebrates the record-breaking start to the Women's T20 World Cup 2026. The opening weekend saw nearly 45,000 fans, and the India vs Pakistan match attracted over 25 million unique viewers in India on JioHotstar.
Blockbuster Start with Record Viewership
International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman Jay Shah hailed the start of the ongoing ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026, highlighting record-breaking attendance and viewership figures. In a post on X, Jay Shah noted that nearly 45,000 fans attended matches during the opening weekend, making it the biggest-ever start to an ICC women's event. Shah also pointed out that the India vs Pakistan match on Sunday attracted over 25 million unique viewers on JioHotstar in India, while Sky Sports recorded its highest-ever viewership for a Women's T20 World Cup match in the UK.
"It's a blockbuster start to the @ICC #WT20WorldCup 2026. Opening weekend (Fri-Sun) saw almost 45000 fans in attendance across #Birmingham, #Manchester and #Southamption. This is the biggest ever opening weekend for an ICC women's event. Live Digital viewership in India for #IndvPak @JioHotstar crossed 25 million unique users - more than the aggregate viewership for the entire last edition of WT20WC," he said.
"Peak viewership in the UK on #SkySports was the highest-ever for any WT20WC match. Across India, UK and the world over...the women's Cricket movement has started re-writing history from its opening weekend itself," he added in the X post.
Early Tournament Action and Upsets
The tournament has featured eight matches so far and has already produced a couple of upsets, both involving defending champions New Zealand. The White Ferns first suffered a seven-wicket loss to West Indies before going down by five wickets against Sri Lanka.
India have played one match so far in their campaign, facing arch-rivals Pakistan, whom they defeated by 64 runs. The Indian women's team are currently second in the Group A standings, behind only Australia. (ANI)
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