ICC announces more changes ahead of the T20 tournament’s inaugural edition
The inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy originally scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka will now take place in India in February next year, the International Cricket Council have confirmed.
Reigning T20 World Cup champions Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka are the six teams that will compete in a round-robin league, with the top two sides advancing to the final on February 28.
The six teams qualified for the T20 tournament based on their positions in the ICC’s rankings at the July 6 cut-off date – the day after Australia beat England at Lord’s to lift the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The ICC stripped Sri Lanka of the event due to government interference in the board of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), which has an interim committee in place for an overhaul of the governance framework at the SLC.
“The first-ever edition of the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy will take place from February 14 to 28 in India next year,” the ICC said in a statement.
“The event was originally scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka but has now been moved to India as Sri Lanka Cricket continues to make the requisite reforms outlined at the ICC’s Annual Conference in July.”
The matches will be held at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai and Vadodara’s International Cricket Stadium.
It’s the second time the tournament originally planned for next June has been rescheduled, prompting Cricket Australia to move its marquee ODI and T20 series against New Zealand.
The White Ferns will instead now make two separate trips to Australia, playing three T20Is next month and then returning for three ODIs in March.
