England spinner Sophie Ecclestone is set to be a key figure. She is the highest-ranked bowler in the ICC T20 and ODI rankings. She is closely followed in the T20 rankings by fellow spinner Sarah Glenn. With the pitches in the UAE expected to help spinners the duo are set for prominent roles.

Nat Sciver-Brunt is the ninth-best all-rounder in the world and often saves her best form for global tournaments.

In the Australia team, opening batter Beth Mooney currently top the ICC’s T20 batter rankings and is followed closely by her team-mate Tahlia McGrath, who is also taking on the vice-captain role.

West Indies captain Hayley Matthews follows Mooney and McGrath in the batting rankings, but is also the highest-ranked all-rounder.

After reaching the semi-finals last year, India look one of the strongest sides. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur is a key cog in their batting. In her recent news conference she said that they are confident they can “beat any team” and their expectation is to “lift the trophy”.

Alongside her is India’s highest-ranked bowler and all-rounder in the T20 format, Deepti Sharma, who is usually very economical with the ball and shows useful runs in the middle order.

South Africa, who were runners-up last year, will look to all-rounder Marizanne Kapp, who is a regular in franchise leagues around the world, and captain Laura Wolvaadart.

Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu is one of the stars of the women’s game and is always one to watch. Her attacking batting at the top order is a key feature of their team and she’s ranked fifth in the all-rounder standings.

All eyes will be on Kathryn Bryce as she captains Scotland. The right-hand batter is currently ranked eighth in the all-rounder rankings and plays alongside her sister, Sarah.