India will host the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy in 2027, with Mumbai and Vadodara set to stage the six-team tournament from February 14 to 28. The Cricket Club of India in Mumbai and the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium will host the landmark competition, which will feature Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka, the ICC announced on Wednesday, September 2.
Pakistan will not be part of the tournament. The six participating teams qualified based on their positions in the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings as of the July 6 cut-off date. The tournament will follow a round-robin format, with each team facing the other five sides. The top two teams at the end of the league stage will advance to the final on February 28.
The tournament was originally awarded to Sri Lankabut its hosting rights have now been transferred to India as Sri Lanka Cricket continues to implement governance reforms outlined by the ICC.
The ICC Board had raised concerns over Sri Lanka Cricket’s governance at its Annual Conference in July. It noted that SLC was making progress towards adopting a revised constitution, while also stressing the need for elections to be held as soon as possible. Sri Lanka Cricket was also kept from being represented at ICC Board meetings for the time being.
The ICC assessed three potential replacement hosts, Bangladesh, India and South Africa, against its established host evaluation criteria before recommending India. The decision was subsequently ratified by the ICC Board on September 2.
KEY POINTS
1. Mumbai and Vadodara will host the six-team tournament in February 2027.
2. The Cricket Club of India in Mumbai and Vadodara International Cricket Stadium to host matches.
3. The inaugural edition of the Women’s Champions Trophy will be played in T20I format.
4. India and Sri Lanka are the only two Asian teams, no Pakistan in the tournament.
5. The tournament was initially set to be hosted by Sri Lanka.
The move gives India another opportunity to stage a major women’s cricket event after hosting the 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup. It also adds another significant competition to the women’s cricket calendar, with the Champions Trophy forming part of the ICC’s effort to have a major women’s event every year.
ICC Chairman Jay Shah said the inaugural edition would bring together the best teams in an “intense, high-quality competition” while providing an added incentive for teams to climb the rankings and compete on the global stage.
“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.
This will be the fourth major ICC tournament hosted by India in four years. The men’s ODI World Cup in 2023, the Women’s World Cup in 2025 and the men’s T20 World Cup all saw India reach the final, with the hosts winning the latter two.
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