Who are the top 10 players to watch at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024?

From Smriti Mandhana to Abtaha Maqsood, Al Jazeera picks the 10 players who could light up the tournament in the UAE.

Some of cricket’s finest talent will be on display at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, which gets under way with a match between Bangladesh and Scotland in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates, on Thursday.

All 10 teams will rely on the experience of their big-name players to lead them all the way to glory in the October 20 final in Dubai.

Al Jazeera picks the 10 players to watch out for at the ninth edition of the tournament.

Athapathuthu, with her impressive all-round skills, will be at the forefront of Sri Lanka’s campaign in the tournament. The Sri Lankan captain is ranked fifth in the ICC’s Women’s T20 all-rounder standings and recently led her country to their first-ever Asia Cup title. The 34-year-old bowls accurate off-spin and can be an explosive batter in the shortest format of the game. Athapaththu has made 246 international appearances since her debut – at the age of 19 – in the T20 World Cup in 2006 and boasts a wealth of experience in franchise T20 cricket as well.

Sharma will be crucial to India’s chances as her nation’s highest-ranked bowler (2nd) and all-rounder (3rd) in the T20 format. The 27-year-old off-break bowler and left-handed batter has appeared 211 times for her country. The cool-headed Indian star was one of the leading performers at the Women’s Hundred tournament in England, where her monstrous six-off sealed the title for London Spirit.

Sana, who made her debut in 2019 at the age of 18, is the rising star of Pakistan cricket and its great hope following its difficult recent run. Although yet to score a fifty for her country, the fast-bowling all-rounder has scored a minimum