Mithali Raj will be eager to get her hands on a maiden title in what would be her last hurrah for India at the world stage, Heather Knight will hope to defend it while Meg Lanning seems primed to lead Australia to a Magnificent Seventh when the ICC Women’s World Cup gets underway here on Friday.

The tournament, which was postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will be played across six venues with the ICC deciding that teams will stay in a managed environment instead of stringent bio-bubbles. The marquee event will be played in the league format, where all eight teams will face each other once with the Top 4 sides qualifying for the semi-finals.