T20 World Cup 2024: From schedule, format to squads; all you need to know about cricket's extravaganza

T20 World Cup 2024: The biggest T20 tournament is right on the horizon with 20 teams vying for the ultimate glory in the USA and West Indies. This T20 World Cup is indeed the biggest one ever as 20 teams will be playing in it for the first time. 

All the Six previous winners will be looking to add to their tally with the defending champions England eyeing a historic third title under their belt. While the warm-up fixtures have begun on May 27, the main round of the tournament will get underway on June 2. Ahead of the tournament, here is all you need to know about it.

Groups and Schedule of the T20 World Cup 2024:

There are four groups of five teams each in the T20 World Cup 2024. Each team will play against one another once before heading into the Super Eight stages. The tournament will kickstart on June 2 with co-hosts USA facing Canada in the opening match at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. Former two-time champions West Indies will begin their campaign against Papua New Guinea on June 2, while the other former champions Sri Lanka will take on South Africa on June 3.

India will play their first game on June 5 against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York before taking on their arch-rivals Pakistan on June 9 at the same venue.

Here's the complete schedule:

Sat, 1 June 2024 - USA v CANADA, Dallas, 07:30 PM LOCAL

Sun, 2 June 2024 - WEST INDIES v PAPUA NEW GUINEA, Guyana, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Sun, 2 June 2024 - NAMIBIA v OMAN, Barbados, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Mon, 3 June 2024 - SL v SOUTH AFRICA, New York, 09:30 AM LOCAL

Mon, 3 June 2024 - AFGHANISTAN v UGANDA, Guyana, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Tue, 4 June 2024 - ENGLAND v SCOTLAND, Barbados, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Tue, 4 June 2024 - NETHERLANDS v NEPAL, Dallas, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Wed, 5 June 2024 - INDIA v IRELAND, New York, 09:30 AM LOCAL

Wed, 5 June 2024 - PAPUA NEW GUINEA v UGANDA, Guyana, 07:30 PM LOCAL

Wed, 5 June 2024 - AUSTRALIA v OMAN, Barbados, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Thur, 6 June 2024 - USA v PAKISTAN, Dallas, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Thur, 6 June 2024 - NAMIBIA v SCOTLAND, Barbados, 03:00 PM LOCAL

Fri, 7 June 2024 - CANADA v IRELAND, New York, 09:30 AM LOCAL

Fri, 7 June 2024 - NEW ZEALAND v AFGHANISTAN, Guyana, 07:30 PM LOCAL

Fri, 7 June 2024 - SRI LANKA v BANGLADESH, Dallas, 07:30 PM LOCAL

Sat, 8 June 2024 - NETHERLANDS v SOUTH AFRICA, New York, 09:30 AM LOCAL

Sat, 8 June 2024 - AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND, Barbados, 01:00 PM LOCAL

Sat, 8 June 2024 - WEST INDIES v UGANDA, Guyana, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Sun, 9 June 2024 - INDIA v PAKISTAN, New York, 09:30 AM LOCAL

Sun, 9 June 2024 - OMAN v SCOTLAND, Antigua, 01:00 PM LOCAL

Mon, 10 June 2024 - SOUTH AFRICA v BANGLADESH, New York, 09:30 AM LOCAL

Tue, 11 June 2024 - PAKISTAN v CANADA, New York, 09:30 AM LOCAL

Tue, 11 June 2024 - SRI LANKA v NEPAL, Florida, 07:30 PM LOCAL

Tue, 11 June 2024 - AUSTRALIA v NAMIBIA, Antigua, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Wed, 12 June 2024 - USA v INDIA, New York, 09:30 AM LOCAL

Wed, 12 June 2024 - WEST INDIES v NEW ZEALAND, Trinidad, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Thur, 13 June 2024 - ENGLAND v OMAN, Antigua, 03:00 PM LOCAL

Thur, 13 June 2024 - BANGLADESH v NETHERLANDS, St. Vincent, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Thur, 13 June 2024 - AFGHANISTAN v PAPUA NEW GUINEA, Trinidad, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Fri, 14 June 2024 - USA v IRELAND, Florida, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Fri, 14 June 2024 - SOUTH AFRICA v NEPAL, St. Vincent, 07:30 PM LOCAL

Fri, 14 June 2024 - NEW ZEALAND v UGANDA, Trinidad, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Sat, 15 June 2024 - INDIA v CANADA, Florida, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Sat, 15 June 2024 - NAMIBIA v ENGLAND, Antigua, 01:00 PM LOCAL

Sat, 15 June 2024 - AUSTRALIA v SCOTLAND, St. Lucia, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Sun, 16 June 2024 - PAKISTAN v IRELAND, Florida, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Sun, 16 June 2024 - BANGLADESH v NEPAL, St. Vincent, 07:30 PM LOCAL

Sun, 16 June 2024 - SRI LANKA v NETHERLANDS, St. Lucia, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Mon, 17 June 2024 - NEW ZEALAND v PAPUA NEW GUINEA, Trinidad, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Mon, 17 June 2024 - WEST INDIES v AFGHANISTAN, St. Lucia, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Wed, 19 June 2024 - A2 v D1, Antigua, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Wed, 19 June 2024 - B1 v C2, St. Lucia, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Thur, 20 June 2024 - C1 v A1, Barbados, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Thur, 20 June 2024 - B2 v D2, Antigua, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Fri, 21 June 2024 - B1 v D1, St. Lucia, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Fri, 21 June 2024 - A2 v C2, Barbados, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Sat, 22 June 2024 - A1 v D2, Antigua, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Sat, 22 June 2024 - C1 v B2, St. Vincent, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Sun, 23 June 2024 - A2 v B1, Barbados, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Sun, 23 June 2024 - C2 v D1, Antigua, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Mon, 24 June 2024 - B2 v A1, St. Lucia, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Mon, 24 June 2024 - C1 v D2, St. Vincent, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Wed, 26 June 2024 - Semi 1, Trinidad and Tobago (reserve day 27 June), 10:30 AM LOCAL

Thur, 27 June 2024 - Semi 2, Guyana, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Sat, 29 June 2024 - Final, Barbados, 10:00 AM LOCAL

Format of T20 World Cup 2024: 

The five teams in each group will face each other once in a single-round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will then advance to the Super Eight stage of the tournament. Two teams from each of the five groups have been given seeds. For example, India and Pakistan are A1 and A2, respectively in Group A, England and Australia B1 and B2 in Group B, New Zealand and West Indies C1 and C2 and South Africa and Sri Lanka D1 and D2.

The Super Eight stage will have two groups too with four teams placed in each of them. The seedings will have the final say in deciding the groups. In Group 1 of the Super Eight, teams seeded A1, B2, C1 and D2 will be placed, while Group 2 will feature A2, B1, C2 and D1.

This means if India qualify for the Super Eight, they will be in Group 1 regardless of whether they finish on top or second in the first grouping stage.

Here are all the squads:

Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik. Reserves: Sediq Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Saleem Safi

Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa. Travelling Reserves: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Short

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Taskin Ahmed, Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Shakib Al Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmud Ullah Riyad, Jaker Ali Anik, Tanvir Islam, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib. Traveling reserves: Afif Hossain, Hasan Mahmud

Canada: Saad Bin Zafar (c), Aaron Johnson, Dilon Heyliger, Dilpreet Bajwa, Harsh Thaker, Jeremy Gordon, Junaid Siddiqui, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Pargat Singh, Ravinderpal Singh, Rayyankhan Pathan, Shreyas Movva. Reserves: Tajinder Singh, Aaditya Varadharajan, Ammar Khalid, Jatinder Matharu, Parveen Kumar

England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj. Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan

Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young

Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green, Michael Van Lingen, Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, Tangeni Lungameni, Niko Davin, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, JP Kotze, David Wiese, Bernard Scholtz, Malan Kruger, PD Blignaut

Nepal: Rohit Paudel (c), Aasif Sheikh, Anil Kumar Sah, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Sundeep Jora, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee

Netherlands: Scott Edwards (c), Aryan Dutt, Bas de Leede, Kyle Klein, Logan van Beek, Max O'Dowd, Michael Levitt, Paul van Meekeren, Saqib Zulfiqar, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Teja Nidamanuru, Tim Pringle, Vikram Singh, Viv Kingma, Wesley Barresi.. Travelling reserve: Ryan Klein

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee. Travelling Reserve: Ben Sears

Oman: Aqib Ilyas (c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Kashyap Prajapati, Pratik Athavale, Ayaan Khan, Shoaib Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Naseem Khushi, Mehran Khan, Bilal Khan, Rafiullah, Kaleemullah, Fayyaz Butt, Shakeel Ahmad, Khalid Kail. Reserves: Jatinder Singh, Samay Shrivastava, Sufyan Mehmood, Jay Odedra

Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan

Papua New Guinea: Assadollah Vala (c), Alei Nao, Chad Soper, CJ Amini, Hila Vare, Hiri Hiri, Jack Gardner, John Kariko, Kabua Vagi Morea, Kipling Doriga, Lega Siaka, Norman Vanua, Sema Kamea, Sese Bau, Tony Ura

Scotland: Richie Berrington (c), Matthew Cross, Brad Currie, Chris Greaves, Oli Hairs, Jack Jarvis, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Charlie Tear, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal

South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs

Sri Lanka: Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka. Travelling Reserves: Asitha Fernando, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Janith Liyanage.

Uganda: Brian Masaba (c), Simon Ssesazi, Roger Mukasa, Cosmas Kyewuta, Dinesh Nakrani, Fred Achelam, Kenneth Waiswa, Alpesh Ramjani, Frank Nsubuga, Henry Ssenyondo, Bilal Hassun, Robinson Obuya, Riazat Ali Shah, Juma Miyaji, Ronak Patel. Travelling Reserves: Innocent Mwebaze, Ronald Lutaaya

United States: Monank Patel (c), Aaron Jones, Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Ali Khan, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Nitish Kumar, Noshtush Kenjige, Saurabh Nethralvakar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor, Shayan Jahangir. Reserve Players: Gajanand Singh, Juanoy Drysdale, Yasir Mohammad.

West Indies: Rovman Powell (c), Alzarri Joseph, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepher