Led by Chetna Pagydyala, USA remained unbeaten across all six matches in the tournament and finished six points ahead of Canada, who were the second-best team in the competition. The United States have secured their place in the 2027 ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup after winning the Americas regional qualifier in the Cayman Islands.
USA began their campaign with an eight-wicket victory over Canada and also registered two wins each against Canada, Argentina and Next GenXI, a composite team featuring players from across the Americas region. They defeated Canada again in their final match to complete an unbeaten run and seal qualification. Mahek Desai was one of the standout performers for USA, finishing as the Player of the Tournament after claiming 16 wickets.
The Africa and Europe qualifiers are still to be held later this year. The qualification means USA will make their third consecutive appearance at the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup. They reached the Super Six stage of the 2025 edition in Malaysia, where India went on to win the title. India have won both editions of the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup held so far. For the 2027 tournament, USA have joined Samoa and UAE as teams to qualify through their respective regional competitions. Pagydyala, who also featured in the 2025 edition, brings considerable international experience to the USA side. The left-handed batter has played 31 T20Is and three ODIs since making her international debut in September 2023. She also scored a century on her ODI debut against Zimbabwe in October 2024. With their place at the 2027 Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup now confirmed, USA will look to build on their Super Six appearance from the previous edition and make another strong showing on the global stage.
Earlier this year, Pagydyala was part of the USA squad at the T20 World Cup qualifier in Nepal, although the team did not qualify for the main tournament.
