Five young stars ready to light up the T20 World Cup
Exceptional young talents in cricket are preparing for their defining moments at the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
By Anushka Karnail
Every ICC Women’s T20 World Cup introduces the world to a new generation of stars.
Some arrive with fearless batting, some with match-winning spells, and some with the composure of veterans despite barely stepping into international cricket.
Over the years, the tournament has played a major role in shaping careers that would go on to define the women’s game. Hayley Matthews was just 18 when she helped the West Indies lift the 2016 title, earning Player of the Match honours in the Final and finishing as her side’s second-highest run-scorer in the competition.
A 21-year-old, Suzie Bates featured in the inaugural Women’s T20 World Cup in 2009 before eventually becoming one of the greatest batters in the history of the White Ferns.
Similarly, Sophie Ecclestone announced herself at the 2018 edition as a 19-year-old, becoming nearly impossible to score against as England reached the final in the Caribbean.
As another Women’s T20 World Cup approaches, a fresh set of young players are preparing to leave their mark. Let's get to know them:
Georgia Voll (Australia)
At just 22, Georgia Voll already looks like the next big star in Australia’s powerful batting lineup.
Few players have made such a rapid impact early in their international career. Voll announced herself with an ODI century in just her second international match against India in 2024, before adding another hundred against the same opposition in early 2026.
An elegant yet explosive top-order batter, Voll combines classical strokeplay with modern aggression. Strong down the ground and fearless against pace, she has quickly established herself as a batter capable of dominating attacks across formats.
Her rise accelerated further during Australia’s T20I series against India earlier this year, where she finished as Australia’s highest run-scorer with 116 runs in three matches, including a Player of the Match-winning knock of 88 in the game Australia won.
Less than a month later, she smashed a maiden T20I century, 101 from just 53 balls against the West Indies, ending the series as its leading run-scorer overall.
Now ranked No.1 in the ICC Women’s T20I batting rankings with a strike-rate of 156.43, Voll heads into her first Women’s T20 World Cup as one of the most exciting young players in the tournament.
“She’s just getting better and better each year. To be number one in T20 cricket and only be playing for two years is pretty impressive. It just goes to show how many runs she’s scored and at a beautiful rate as well,” Australia top-order batter Phoebe Litchfield has high expectations of Voll.
Nandni Sharma (India)
Nandni Sharma continues to make strong first impressions.
The 24-year-old fast bowler first caught attention during the Women’s Premier League earlier this year and immediately carried that momentum into international cricket with a memorable debut against England.
At the opening T20I in Chelmsford, Sharma returned figures of 3/34 in four overs. Her spell helped India secure a comfortable 38-run victory and instantly strengthened her credentials ahead of the World Cup.
Accuracy and variation remain her biggest strengths. Even in the absence of first-choice pacer Renuka Singh, Sharma stepped up and delivered, giving India an added pace option heading into the global event.
Her rapid rise has been built on a superb Women’s Premier League campaign for Delhi Capitals, where she claimed 17 wickets in 10 matches under the captaincy of Jemimah Rodrigues. She was the joint leading wicket-taker of the edition, which included a hat-trick and a five-wicket haul in just her second appearance.
“Nandni has been fantastic for us,” Jemimah said at the IISM Degree Distribution Ceremony 2026 .
“She proved herself not just in one game, but consistently across matches. With the experience in this squad, we're confident she'll flourish on the big stage.”
Sharma has also been tipped to fill the void left by the injured Amanjot Kaur as India prepare for the Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales.
Kayla Reyneke (South Africa)
At only 20 years old, Kayla Reyneke has already shown that she thrives under pressure.
The young all-rounder first gained major recognition while captaining South Africa to the final of the ICC Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup in 2025. Since breaking into the senior side, she has wasted little time making headlines.
In just her first three international appearances, Reyneke earned two Player of the Match awards.
One of her standout performances came against New Zealand in March 2026, where she hammered three consecutive sixes off Sophie Devine in the final over to propel South Africa to 177/5 in the second T20I.
Reyneke smashes it out of the park | U19WC 2025
Kayla Reyneke connects well
“That was some really clean power hitting. It is really nice with the ball striking that we have in our lineup and to know that we have power like that still to come,” skipper Laura Wolvaardt said afterwards.
Her fearless finishing ability surfaced again during the ODI series opener in Christchurch, where Reyneke smashed a last-ball six to complete a thrilling chase against New Zealand.
With her composure, clean striking and growing confidence, Reyneke is quickly becoming one of South Africa’s most exciting young match-winners.
Tilly Corteen-Coleman (England)
Few young talents heading into a Women’s T20 World Cup have generated as much excitement as Tilly Corteen-Coleman.
The 18-year-old slow left-arm spinner has rapidly emerged as one of England’s brightest bowling prospects through a combination of control, wicket-taking ability and maturity beyond her years.
After debuting for Kent in 2024, Corteen-Coleman quickly progressed through the domestic structure with South East Stars. Her breakout moment came in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, where she claimed four wickets in four balls — a spell that immediately drew national attention.
She further strengthened her reputation during the ICC Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup in 2025, including a match-winning spell of 4/8 against New Zealand in the Super Six stage.
Corteen-Coleman beats the edge with beautiful ball in U19WC 2025
England's Tilly Corteen-Coleman slides one past star USA batter Disha Dhingra to get England on the board in the field.
Selected as an exciting uncapped prospect for England’s squad, Tilly Corteen-Coleman has since justified the hype with impressive performances in her three international appearances, including a two-wicket on her ODI debut where she dismissed both Georgia Plimmer and the well-set Maddy Green.
“She's just had an incredible two years. She's performed. And that's ultimately what we've asked the players to do. Her age has not really been taken into account,” head coach Charlotte Edwards said on her inclusion.
“She's conducted herself brilliantly over the last six months with the squad. Spent lots of time with us, and we're really confident she can deliver on the big stage,” she added.
Vice-captain Charlie Dean also highlighted the advantage Corteen-Coleman brings to the side.
“Adding Tilly to our squad, she brings an element of unknown to other teams, but we know how amazing she's been domestically over the past couple of years and the performances she's put in.”
Phebe Molkenboer (Netherlands)
For Phebe Molkenboer, the road to the Women’s T20 World Cup has been built on consistency and composure.
The 21-year-old has become a central figure in the Netherlands batting lineup since making her ODI and T20I debuts in 2023. In just over 50 T20I appearances, she has already accumulated nearly 700 runs.
Her performances during the qualification pathway played a major role in helping the Netherlands secure a historic first-ever Women’s T20 World Cup qualification.
Molkenboer produced a career-best unbeaten 91 from 66 balls against Germany that helped them secure a place in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier held in Nepal.
At the Qualifier event, she starred again, against Zimbabwe and later the United States. She demonstrated the ability to anchor innings under pressure, including an unbeaten 46 before rain interrupted play against USA — a result that ultimately sealed Netherlands’ place at the World Cup.
Now, Molkenboer heads into the tournament as one of the key young players carrying Dutch hopes onto the global stage.