India will host the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy in 2027 after Sri Lanka was replaced as host while Sri Lanka Cricket continues to implement reforms required by the International Cricket Council.
The six-team tournament will be played in Mumbai and Vadodara from Feb. 14-28, 2027, the ICC announced.
The tournament was originally scheduled to be staged in Sri Lanka. However, the ICC said it will now be held in India as Sri Lanka Cricket “continues to make the requisite reforms outlined at the ICC’s Annual Conference in July.”
According to the ICC, Bangladesh, India and South Africa were assessed as potential replacement hosts under its established host evaluation criteria. India was subsequently recommended, with the decision ratified by the ICC Board on Sept. 2.
The Cricket Club of India in Mumbai and the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium will host matches.
Sri Lanka will still compete in the tournament alongside Australia, England, India, New Zealand and South Africa. The six teams qualified based on their positions in the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings at the July 6 qualification cutoff.
The tournament will be played in a round-robin format, with the top two teams advancing to the final on Feb. 28.
ICC Chairman Jay Shah described the inaugural tournament as “an exciting new chapter for women’s cricket,” saying it would provide greater incentive for teams to rise through the rankings and compete on the global stage.
The full tournament schedule and ticketing details will be announced later. (Newswire)