Sri Lanka lose Inaugural Women's Champions Trophy hosting rights

The inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy, which was set to be held in Sri Lanka in February 2027, has been moved out of the country due to government interference

The Transformation Committee, which was appointed by the government to oversee reforms to the board's operations, including modifications to the board's constitution and governance structure, currently runs Sri Lanka Cricket. A board constitution draft had been completed and sent to the Sports Minister by the Transformation Committee. The proposed changes were awaited to undergo legal process before being presented to Parliament.

However, as per ICC’s policy, politically appointed interim administration isn’t allowed. The ICC has also refused to allow SLC representatives to attend ICC Board meetings since the Transformation Committee took over. “The progress being made toward a revised Constitution was noted by the ICC Board after receiving an update on Sri Lanka Cricket. In a July release, the International Cricket Council (ICC) stated, "It reiterated the need for elections to be held as soon as possible and agreed that Sri Lanka Cricket would continue to be unable to be represented at ICC Board meetings for the time being."

The tournament's cancellation is likely to have cricketing repercussions in addition to financial ones. Sri Lanka had qualified as the tournament's host because the competition was to be played between the top six teams.

Previously, Sri Lanka had lost the hosting rights of the 2024 Under-19 World Cup, which was eventually moved to South Africa after Sri Lanka’s Sports Ministry had dissolved the elected SLC board.