Government interference has taken a toll on Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). The Sri Lankans have lost hosting rights for the Women’s Champions Trophy. The tournament’s venue has been changed, and it will now be held in India in early next year. Sri Lanka stands to lose roughly 250 crore taka as a result of losing the hosting rights.
SLC is currently being run through a government-appointed transformation committee. Citing sources, Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror reported that SLC stands to lose at least $20 million in revenue — roughly 244.89 crore taka. According to reports in the Sri Lankan press, the ICC had warned SLC months ago that if the political interference issue was not resolved and long-pending board elections were not held, Sri Lanka’s hosting rights could be at risk.
This is the second time in three years that Sri Lanka has lost the right to host an ICC event. In 2023, government interference in the board led to the 2024 men’s Under-19 World Cup being moved out of Sri Lanka as well. That tournament was relocated to South Africa.
The first edition of the Women’s Champions Trophy will be held in India from Feb. 14-28 next year. The ICC event will be held at two venues — the Cricket Club of India’s Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, and Vadodara. Although Sri Lanka has lost hosting rights, it remains in the tournament, which will be played in the Twenty20 format.
Sri Lanka is in the tournament because it was ranked sixth in the T20 rankings as of the July 6 cutoff date. The other five teams taking part in the Champions Trophy are Australia, England, India, New Zealand and South Africa. In the ICC rankings from roughly two months ago, Pakistan and Bangladesh were ranked eighth and 10th in T20Is.