India to defend U19 Women's T20 World Cup title from January 21

India will begin their title defence at the Women's Under-19 T20 World Cup against West Indies on January 22 in Kathmandu. The tournament runs from January 21 to February 6 across venues in Bangladesh and Nepal, with the final scheduled in Chattogram. Sixteen teams are divided into four groups, and the top two from each group advance to the Super Six stage.

Group A consists of India, Ireland, West Indies and Nepal. Group B includes South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and Samoa. Group C features Australia, Bangladesh, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates, while Group D has England, Sri Lanka, the United States and Scotland. The semi-finals take place on February 4, with February 5 as a reserve day, and the final is set for February 6 at 1:30 PM local time.

ICC Chief Executive Sanjog Gupta said the tournament provides young players an opportunity to compete at the highest level in their age group and gain experience on the global stage. The group stage concludes on January 26 before the Super Six phase begins.