India To Host Inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy 2027 (Image: IANS)

India will host the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy in 2027, with the six-team tournament relocated from its originally designated host Sri Lanka. The tournament is scheduled to take place from February 14 to 28, 2027, marking a significant addition to India’s calendar of major women’s cricket events.The competition will feature six teams and will be played in the T20I format, with a total of 16 matches. India, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka have qualified for the tournament based on the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings.

Mumbai, Vadodara to host matches

The tournament will be played across two venues, the Cricket Club of India (CCI) in Mumbai and the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium. All six teams will compete in a round-robin league stage, with the top two sides advancing to the final.

Sri Lanka lost hosting rights over governance concerns

Sri Lanka had originally been awarded hosting rights for the tournament. However, the ICC Board subsequently approved the move to India following a host evaluation process. Sri Lanka Cricket remains under a government-appointed committee, which the ICC considers a violation of its regulations concerning government or political interference in the administration of cricket.India emerged as the successful bidder after competing proposals from Bangladesh and South Africa were considered.“The ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027 marks an exciting new chapter for women’s cricket,” ICC Chairman Jay Shah said.“As the inaugural edition of the tournament, it will bring together the best teams in the world in an intense, high-quality competition, while creating even greater incentive for teams to continue rising through the rankings and competing for a place on the global stage,” he added.Jay Shah also highlighted the ICC’s plans to create a stronger rhythm for women’s international cricket through a regular calendar of major events.“With a marquee ICC women’s event now taking place every year, we have a significant opportunity to build greater momentum, provide more consistency and create a stronger rhythm for the women’s game, its players and its fans around the world,” he said.