Sri Lanka backs Women’s Champions Trophy after hosting rights shifted

Sri Lanka Cricket has accepted the ICC's decision to shift the Women's Champions Trophy to India and pledged full support for the tournament. Sri Lanka's women's team retains qualification, with six teams set to compete in Mumbai and Vadodara

Colombo: The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Thursday said it has pledged full support for the upcoming ICC Women’s Champions Trophy and accepted the global governing body’s decision to relocate the inaugural tournament to India.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) stripped Sri Lanka of its hosting rights due to government interference in the SLC’s governance and handed the staging rights of the inaugural six-team competition to India.

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The tournament, featuring Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sri Lanka, is scheduled to run from February 14 to 28 next year, with games to be staged in Mumbai and Vadodara.

Despite the administrative setback of losing its second major ICC tournament in two years, the island nation’s board confirmed it will focus entirely on supporting its squad following their qualification based on global rankings.

“Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) notes the International Cricket Council’s decision regarding the hosting of the upcoming ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027,” the board said in a statement on Thursday.

While Sri Lanka will not host the tournament, the Sri Lanka women’s national team has secured automatic qualification for the competition based on its standing in the current qualification process.

“SLC welcomes the qualification of the Sri Lanka women’s national team and remains committed to providing the team with the necessary support in its preparation for the tournament.

Sri Lanka Cricket will continue to work closely with the ICC, the host nation of the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy, and all relevant stakeholders to ensure the successful conduct of the inaugural tournament,” the SLC said in its statement on Thursday.

The SLC is currently managed by a government-appointed Transformation Committee, an interim setup established to oversee constitutional changes within the country’s cricket administration. Because the ICC strictly prohibits political appointments in member boards, Sri Lanka lost the right to stage the event.

Despite this, the side retained its entry to the competition based on its standing at the July 6 cut-off date. The six participating teams will compete in a single round-robin format during the event, with the top two sides progressing to the final on February 28.