Women's T20 World Cup History: Australia's Six Titles, the 86,174 Melbourne Final, and Global Growth
The ICC Women's T20 World Cup has been held since 2009. Australia have won 6 titles (2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2023) — the most by any team. The 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup final at the MCG on International Women's Day attracted 86,174 spectators — the world record for a women's cricket match. India beat New Zealand in the semi-final before losing to Australia in the final. Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning have been Australia's dominant players across multiple tournament wins.
The ICC Women's T20 World Cup was first held in 2009 in England, won by England (beat New Zealand by 6 wickets in the final). Australia have since dominated the competition — winning 6 of the subsequent editions. The tournament has grown from 8 teams in 2009 to 10 teams in 2023, with qualification pathways from ICC women's regional events.
The 2020 MCG Final
The 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup final at the MCG on 8 March (International Women's Day) drew 86,174 spectators — the largest crowd ever to watch a women's cricket match and one of the largest for any women's sporting event in history. Australia beat India by 85 runs. Beth Mooney scored 78* and Megan Schutt took 4/18. India had reached the final with a 17-year-old Shafali Verma in outstanding form throughout the tournament (highest run-scorer). The MCG final represented a landmark moment for women's cricket's commercial and cultural standing.
Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning
Ellyse Perry represented Australia in both cricket (Tests, ODIs, T20Is) and football (A-League Women's). She is the first Australian woman to represent Australia in two World Cups in two different sports. As a cricketer, she has 5,000+ ODI runs and 150+ wickets — the best women's ODI all-round record. Meg Lanning captained Australia to three Women's T20 World Cup titles (2014, 2020, 2023) and holds the record for most ODI centuries by an Australian woman (7+). Lanning retired from international cricket in late 2023 at age 31.
Frequently asked questions
How has women's cricket changed commercially and structurally since the 2020 MCG final, and what is the current state of women's cricket globally?
Women's cricket's commercial evolution post-2020 MCG. The 2020 MCG final was a watershed moment: 86,174 spectators and the most-watched cricket match on television in Australia since the men's 2019 WC final. Impact on commercial structures: (1) ECB investment: the ECB committed to equal match fees for men and women central-contract players in 2020 — a significant step toward pay equity. The Hundred (launched 2021) gave women's cricketers equal billing alongside men's fixtures. (2) IPL Women's league (WPL): the BCCI launched the Women's Premier League in 2023 with 5 franchises. The 2023 WPL inaugural auction raised approximately ₹4,669 crore in franchise fees — significant investment for a brand-new women's league. Mumbai Indians won the inaugural WPL. (3) CWI, CA, Cricket SA: all signed bilateral agreements for shared facilities and increased women's central contracts post-2020. (4) Broadcast deals: Network Ten (Australia) now broadcasts all Women's ODIs and T20Is — an increase from minimal coverage pre-2018. In India, Star Sports and Jio broadcast Women's T20I and ODI matches; ratings have grown 200% from 2019 to 2023. Current state (2024): the ICC Women's rankings show Australia (1st), England (2nd), India (3rd) as the consistent top three. Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are improving with ICC development funding. The Women's ODI World Cup is held every 4 years (2022 was in New Zealand, won by Australia). The Women's T20 WC is held every 2 years. The major remaining gap: women's Test cricket is extremely rare — only Australia, England, and India play regular Women's Tests (once every 2 years in bilateral context). The ICC has not committed to a Women's WTC as of 2024.