India may play in UAE as Pakistan eye to host all Women’s T20 World Cup 2028 matches

Pakistan is keen to host all the Women’s T20 World Cup matches in 2028, with the UAE likely to become the neutral venue for games involving India, according to a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) source.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that the 12-team tournament will be held from 7 September to 1 October 2028, with Pakistan as the main host. However, the neutral venue for India’s matches is yet to be finalised. The ICC has confirmed that the neutral venue will apply to the tournament.

An official source in the PCB said Pakistan was ready to host the tournament but urged the ICC to follow the hybrid model used for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

“We would like to host both the group matches and the knockout matches in which the Indian team is not playing,” he said.

“The UAE is likely to be a neutral destination of choice for everyone as travel between Pakistan and Dubai is short and logistics become cheaper and easier to manage,” he added.

THE HYBRID MODEL CONTINUES

The arrangement follows the hybrid model agreed upon by India and Pakistan for ICC events. According to the agreement, the matches of both countries at events organized by both countries are played at neutral venues. The ICC confirmed the arrangement in December 2024, extension to the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028.

The model was implemented for the 2025 Champions Trophy, hosted by Pakistan, with Dubai designated as a neutral venue. India played all their matches there, including the final against New Zealand, which they won. Pakistan hosted 10 of the 15 matches of the tournament.

Other major tournaments were shaped by the same approach. During the 2023 Asia Cup hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, India played their matches in Sri Lanka. In the 2025 ODI Women’s World Cup in India, Pakistan played their matches in Colombo, including their group stage encounter with India.

India are among the top teams in women’s cricket and are expected to challenge for the knockout stages in 2028. A PCB source said Lahore could host the final if India do not qualify, although the ICC is yet to confirm the venue arrangements.

The source added that hosting the tournament would boost women’s cricket in Pakistan, which wants to build a competitive team for the global event.

The 2028 Women’s World T20 will be the next big test of the hybrid model as the two cricketing rivals continue to meet at neutral venues in international competitions.

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