Dubai, September 2, 2026: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday awarded the hosting rights for the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy to India, with the six-team tournament scheduled to be played in T20I format from February 14 to 28, 2027.
The inaugural edition will feature Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and hosts India, with all matches scheduled to be played at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai and the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium in Vadodara.
The tournament was originally scheduled to be hosted by Sri Lanka but has now been relocated to India as Sri Lanka Cricket continues to implement reforms outlined at the ICC Annual Conference in July.
According to the ICC, Bangladesh, India and South Africa were assessed as potential replacement hosts against established hosting criteria. India was subsequently recommended as the replacement host, with the decision formally ratified by the ICC Board on September 1.
ICC Chairman Jay Shah described the tournament as an important milestone for women’s cricket.
“The ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027 marks an exciting new chapter for women’s cricket,” Shah said.
He said the inaugural tournament would bring together leading teams in a high-quality competition while creating an additional incentive for teams to improve their rankings and compete for a place on the global stage.
Shah added that the introduction of a major ICC women’s event every year would help build momentum and provide greater consistency for players and fans.
“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.
Pakistan will not participate in the inaugural Champions Trophy as the tournament will be contested in T20I format, with only six teams taking part.
The six participating sides will play a single round-robin league, with the top two teams qualifying for the final scheduled for February 28.
India will enter the tournament as the reigning ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup champions, while Australia are the current ICC Women’s T20 World Cup holders after reclaiming the title in England in July.
The tournament is expected to add another major annual event to the women’s international cricket calendar and provide the leading teams with another opportunity to compete for an ICC title.
