SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Led by Harmanpreet Kaur, 12 of this Indian side have played the tournament before. And three new stars in the making — Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana and S Sajana — are eager for a first taste at the big stage.

“I can say this is the best team we are going for a T20 World Cup with,” Kaur said in a press conference. “We have players who have been together for a long time. We know what the pressure is like and we know how to handle it.”

India has never won a women’s T20 World Cup. It came close in 2020, finishing runner-up to Australia, and lost in the semifinals in 2018 and 2023.

For Kaur, this will be a 10th consecutive tournament since 2009 and she will be keen to replicate Rohit Sharma’s triumph with the Indian men’s side earlier in the summer.

India starts its campaign on Friday against New Zealand and then will face Pakistan on Sunday — both games in Dubai. It plays Australia on Oct. 13.

The big question remains if anyone can stop Australia. There is further incentive to do just that — the ICC has confirmed prize money of $2.34 million, equal to the men’s tournament and an increase of 134% over what Australia received for winning in 2023.