India to Host First-Ever ICC Women's Champions Trophy

COLOMBO (News 1st): The inaugural edition of the ICC Women's Champions Trophy 2027 will be held in India from February 14 to 28 next year, with Sri Lanka set to feature among the six teams competing in the historic tournament.

The competition brings together six of the world's leading teams in a new ICC event aimed at further strengthening the global women's game.

All matches will 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. However, the International Cricket Council decided to move the event to India as Sri Lanka Cricket continues implementing the reforms outlined during the ICC Annual Conference held in July.

Before making its decision, the ICC evaluated Bangladesh, India and South Africa against its established hosting criteria and subsequently recommended India as the replacement host. The recommendation was ratified by the ICC Board on September 1.

The tournament will feature Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka.

The six teams will compete in a round-robin league, with the top two sides advancing to the final on 28 February.

The competition will be played in the T20 International format, setting the stage for an intense battle between some of the strongest teams in women's cricket.

India enters the tournament as the reigning ICC Women's Cricket World Cup champions, while Australia will arrive as the current ICC Women's T20 World Cup champions after reclaiming the title in England earlier this year.