The 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is England’s first hosting of the event under the expanded 10-team format. For Indian viewers it is a high-stakes follow-up to the 2024 World Cup, with India re-entering as one of the favourites. This page maps the broadcaster routes — paywalled JioHotstar + Star Sports for full coverage, DD Sports for the FTA slice on India women’s matches.
Where to watch legally in India
Star Sports carries the linear feed; JioHotstar mirrors the digital stream; DD Sports picks up FTA carry on selected India women’s matches under the Sports Broadcasting Signals Act 2007.
| Platform | What you get | 2026 cost (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| JioHotstar Premium | Full tournament, multi-device, 4K | ₹499–699 / 3 months |
| JioHotstar Mobile | Full tournament, single mobile | ₹149 / 3 months |
| Star Sports (DTH) | Linear, English + Hindi (regional TBC) | DTH sports add-on (~₹25–40 / month) |
| DD Sports | Selected India women’s matches FTA | Free |
Pan-region availability
| Region | Legal carrier |
|---|---|
| India | Star Sports + JioHotstar + DD Sports (India women’s matches FTA) |
| Pakistan | PTV Sports + A Sports + Tapmad TV |
| United Kingdom | Sky Sports + BBC (selected) |
| United States | Willow TV |
| Australia | Fox Cricket + Channel 7 (selected) |
Series schedule
The full Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 fixture list embeds below.
Cricket schedule — legal broadcasters by country
Bilateral India + Pakistan rights split, with UK and Australia for the diaspora. Tour windows shift; confirm kick-off against the rights-holder app on match day.
| Series | Format | Window | Teams | India (legal) | Pakistan (legal) | UK (legal) | Australia (legal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICC Champions Trophy 2026 | ODI | Feb 2026 | 8 nations (TBC host: Pakistan) | Star Sports / JioHotstar | PTV Sports / Tapmad TV | Sky Sports Cricket | Fox Cricket / Kayo Sports |
| IPL 2026 | T20 league | Mar–May 2026 | 10 franchises | Star Sports + JioHotstar | Not licensed (PEMRA blackout) | Sky Sports Cricket | Fox Cricket |
| PSL 2026 | T20 league | Apr–May 2026 | 6 franchises | Sony Sports (subject to confirmation) | PTV Sports / Tapmad TV / A Sports | Sky Sports / Willow TV | TBC |
| England tour of India | Tests + ODIs + T20Is | Jan–Feb 2026 | India vs England | Star Sports + JioHotstar | PTV / Ten Sports | Sky Sports Cricket / TNT Sports | Fox Cricket |
| Australia vs India ODI series | ODI | Oct–Nov 2026 (tentative) | India vs Australia | Sony Sports / JioHotstar | Ten Sports | Sky Sports Cricket | Fox Cricket / Channel 7 |
| ICC T20 World Cup 2026 | T20 World Cup | Feb–Mar 2026 (India + Sri Lanka hosts) | 20 nations | Star Sports + JioHotstar + DD Sports (selected) | PTV / A Sports | Sky Sports Cricket | Fox Cricket / Channel 7 |
| BBL 2025/26 finals | T20 league knockout | Feb 2026 | Top-5 BBL | Sony Sports | Sony Sports (selected) | BT Sport / TNT Sports | Channel 7 + Fox Cricket |
| The Hundred 2026 | 100-ball league | Aug 2026 | 8 franchises | Sony Sports (TBC) | TBC | Sky Sports + BBC (selected) | Fox Cricket (TBC) |
| CPL 2026 | T20 league | Aug–Sep 2026 | 6 franchises | FanCode / Star Sports | Tapmad TV | Sky Sports / FanCode | Kayo Sports |
| ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 | T20 World Cup (Women) | Jun 2026 (England host) | 10 nations | Star Sports / JioHotstar | PTV | Sky Sports + BBC | Fox Cricket |
| Asia Cup 2026 | T20 / ODI (TBC) | Sep 2026 | 6 nations | Star Sports / JioHotstar | PTV / A Sports | Sky Sports | Fox Cricket |
| WTC 2025–27 cycle: India tests | Test | Through Jun 2027 | India + opponents | Star Sports + JioHotstar | Ten Sports | Sky Sports Cricket | Fox Cricket |
| Sri Lanka tour of Australia | ODI + T20I | Feb 2026 | Sri Lanka vs Australia | FanCode | Tapmad TV | Sky Sports (selected) | Fox Cricket / Channel 7 |
| Pakistan vs Bangladesh ODI series | ODI | Apr 2026 | Pakistan vs Bangladesh | Ten Sports | PTV Sports / A Sports | Sky Sports (selected) | TBC |
| Pakistan tour of England | Tests + ODIs + T20Is | Jul–Aug 2026 | Pakistan vs England | Sony Sports | PTV Sports / A Sports | Sky Sports Cricket | Fox Cricket (selected) |
CricHD Guide is editorial only — we do not host, embed or link to unauthorised streams. Match access is via the licensed broadcaster apps listed above.
| Stage | Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Group stage | Early Jun 2026 | 10 teams, two groups of five |
| Semi-finals | Mid Jun 2026 | Top 2 from each group |
| Final | Late Jun 2026 | Lord’s or The Oval (TBC) |
How to watch legally
- For paid full coverage, JioHotstar Premium or a Star Sports DTH sports-pack — same content, different delivery.
- For free India women’s matches, DD Sports — expect group-stage India matches and any India knockout to carry FTA.
- For the BBC supporting coverage in the UK, the BBC iPlayer carries selected highlights and women’s-specific magazine programming free in the UK.
- For language tracks, JioHotstar and Star Sports both default to English with Hindi commentary on selected matches.
FTA carry for women’s cricket — the legal scaffolding
The Sports Broadcasting Signals Act 2007 mandate covers “matches of national importance” and subsequent Ministry of Information & Broadcasting clarifications have explicitly included India women’s senior matches at marquee global events. Practically, this means: India women’s matches at the T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup and Commonwealth Games qualify; bilateral women’s tours and franchise women’s leagues (Women’s Premier League) do not.
The WPL is paywalled on JioHotstar + Star Sports; the global women’s events get DD Sports’ FTA slice on India matches.
CricHD Guide homepage · ICC T20 World Cup 2026 (men’s) · DD Sports cricket guide · JioHotstar cricket guide