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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has laid down a blueprint for women’s cricket all around, highlighting its Future Tours Programme (FTP). As per the new FTP, every tournament will see a dedicated window allotted for its conduction. Moreover, this move by the ICC comes in order to create more structured calendar and support the growth of women’s cricket all over the globe.
As per the new women’s FTP for 2025-29 cycle, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) will be held every year in January-February. This will come into effect from 2026 in order to host the league successfully without overlapping with any other tournament at that time of the year. On the other hand, The Hundred and Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) are slated to be held in August and November respectively.
In 2024, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had rescheduled the WPL in February-March, which led to several international players making themselves unavailable due to other commitments. Moreover, with the WPL window now being shifted to January-February, Cricket Australia has also pushed back the women’s summer fixtures to February-March from their previous schedule of being hosted in January.
ICC to introduce Women’s Champions Trophy from 2027
As per the new FTP cycle, the ICC has also added that Women’s Champions Trophy into its schedule, which will kickstart from 2027. According to the latest update, a women’s ICC tournament will be held every year, starting from the ODI World Cup in 2025 in India, followed by the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2026 and the Women’s Champions Trophy in 2027.
Wasim Khan, the ICC’s General Manager in the release stated, “We are delighted to announce the new Women’s FTP. The ODIs within the Women’s Championship will continue to provide both context and a pathway to the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2029. The FTP also provides clarity for teams and the fans.” He also confirmed the expansion of IWC which will include Zimbabwe as the eleventh team.
“We are pleased that the new edition of the IWC has expanded and will include Zimbabwe as an eleventh team. It is heartening that Member Boards are keen to play across formats, and also that they have planned tri-series to prepare for ICC events. The effort made by the Members to provide a balanced and contextual calendar will further elevate the women’s game. We thank Member Boards for their commitment and collaboration in finalising the FTP,” he added.
