Sri Lanka has lost the opportunity to host the upcoming Women’s Champions Trophy in a recent controversy between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the government on Monday.
According to cricinfo.com, the ICC has decided not to give Sri Lanka the right to host the first edition of the tournament due to continued government interference in Sri Lanka Cricket.
The controversy between the two organisations has resulted in the formation of a Transformation Committee by the Sri Lankan government to implement certain reforms in the constitution of its cricket controlling body.
The ICC has never recognised this committee as a legitimate governing body, and the representatives of Sri Lanka Cricket have been banned from attending ICC Board meetings following the formation of this committee.
“Yes, it has been moved out of Sri Lanka,” said Prakash Shaffter, secretary of the Transformation Committee. “It will be played at another venue, but as of now, I am not sure where it will be played,” he added.
The host of this tournament will be announced at the next ICC board meeting scheduled in October.
Reports suggest that India will most probably become the new host of this tournament.
There’s a further complication for Sri Lanka beyond the loss of hosting duties. The team currently sits sixth in the rankings, and with the tournament moving elsewhere, their spot in the six-team field is no longer guaranteed either, since the original format built in an automatic place for the hosts.
This is not unfamiliar to the Sri Lankan Cricket Board. Earlier in 2023, the body was stripped of hosting rights for the Men’s Under-19 World Cup scheduled for 2024, as the then sports minister of the country disbanded the elected leadership of SLC and formed an interim committee; the tournament ultimately shifted its base to South Africa.
This is the second occasion in the last three years that politicking has deprived Sri Lanka of an ICC event, with this happening shortly after it co-hosted the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup.
It is the prestige as well as the financial repercussions that have a sting to it. Hosts of ICC events are rewarded with broadcast deals, sponsorships, and tourism revenues, which will be lost by the Sri Lanka Cricket Board at the worst possible time.
