Four Indians in ICC’s all-female panel of match officials for Women’s T20WC

Four Indian officials, including match referee G.S. Lakshmi, have been named in the 18-strong all-female list of ICC match officials who will supervise the Women’s T20 World Cup beginning June 12 in England and Wales.

It will be the third straight edition of the showpiece that will feature an all-woman panel, with Candace La Borde, Gayathri Venugopalan, Kerrin Klaaste and Shathira Jakir Jesy slated to make their tournament debut.

Vrinda Rathi and Janani N. are the other two Indians in the umpires’ list.

“This panel of match officials for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 reflects the ICC’s commitment to expanding the scope of representation to all facets of the sport,” ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta said in a press release.

“The ICC takes into consideration a comprehensive, holistic, and evidence-based account while assessing its sports officials and their decision-making performance,” he added.

There are 14 umpires and four match referees who will be used across the 33 fixtures at the World Cup, with nine members of the match officials’ team from the 2024 edition returning for the upcoming event.

Australian official Claire Polosak is the most experienced as she gets ready for her sixth appearance at the tournament having umpired 22 matches previously, while Jacquline Williams and Kim Cotton, who have overseen 19 matches each on this stage, will reach the milestone of five T20 World Cups in England and Wales.

The match referees feature three returning officials — Shandrr Fritz, Lakshmi and Michell Pereira — who were also part of the 2024 edition. The group of four referees will be completed by Trudy Anderson from New Zealand.

India will open their World Cup campaign against Pakistan on June 14.

Panel of Match Officials:

Umpires: Lauren Agenbag, Kim Cotton, Anna Harris, Shathira Jakir Jesy, Kerrin Klaaste, Candace La Borde, Janani N., Nimali Perera, Claire Polosak, Vrinda Rathi, Suzanne Redfern, Eloise Sheridan, Jacquline Williams, Gayathri Venugopalan

Match Referees: Trudy Anderson, Shandré Fritz, GS Lakshmi, Michell Pereira.