- Sri Lanka loses hosting rights for the 2027 Women’s Champions Trophy.
- ICC moves tournament amid governance dispute with SLC.
- New host for the six-team event is yet to be decided.
The ICC announced today its decision to take away the rights from Sri Lanka to host the ICC Women's T20 Champions Trophy in 2027. The move comes amid an ongoing tussle over the running of Sri Lanka Cricket.
The tournament was originally planned to be held in March 2027. The ICC has not announced who the new host will be and a decision in this regard is expected to be taken at the next scheduled Board meeting of the organization.
ICC Governance Dispute Behind Decision
This news arises in a context of a protracted spat between the ICC and Sri Lanka's cricket authority.
Sri Lanka Cricket is governed by an appointed Transformation Committee. This situation has raised worries at the ICC about the role of politics in Sri Lankan cricket.
The ICC has always insisted on its members being free from politics and wants Sri Lanka to resume normal cricket practices.
Prakash Schaffter, secretary of the Cricket Transformation Committee said that the tournament is no longer being held in Sri Lanka.
"Yes, it has been moved out of Sri Lanka," Schaffter said, adding that it would be hosted elsewhere, although the new venue had not yet been confirmed.
Inaugural Women's Champions Trophy
The Women's T20 Champions Trophy is set to take place in 2027, which will mark its launch edition featuring six participating teams.
The tournament was awarded to Sri Lanka back in 2022, along with a few other hosting rights for similar events pertaining to women's cricket.
The word went out that Sri Lanka will be hosting the inaugural edition of the Women's T20 Champions Trophy. The ICC later advanced the dates of the tournament to February 14-28, 2027, marking an addition to the changes in the women’s cricket calendar.
Who Will Play In The Tournament?
As per what has been said regarding the initial qualification framework, it is assumed that all six participants of the tournament will consist of Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the hosting team. However, Sri Lanka's standing became more difficult due to the change of the borough.
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Currently, Sri Lanka is in sixth place in the relevant rankings. If any new host team falls into the qualifying block, the ICC will need to make a decision whether to keep Sri Lanka in the tournament. The ICC has not released any information regarding alterations to the qualifying method.
Another Major Setback For Sri Lankan Cricket
Losing the Women's Champions Trophy is another significant blow for Sri Lankan cricket administration.
The country has previously faced consequences over governance concerns. In 2023, the ICC suspended Sri Lanka Cricket over government interference, and Sri Lanka subsequently lost the hosting rights for the 2024 Men's Under-19 World Cup, which was moved to South Africa.
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The latest decision therefore represents another major setback for the country's efforts to host international cricket tournaments.
New Host Yet To Be Decided
The ICC has not yet disclosed the name of the venue for the inaugural Women's Champions Trophy.
The event's replacement host is likely to be decided at the next ICC Board meeting, which means eager fans and teams must wait for updates about the venues of the tournament and the final qualification scenario.