Women's Premier League gets new Window in ICC Calendar, WBBL also moved

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The cash-rich women's franchise cricket tournament Women's Premier League has found a new window in the cricket calendar from 2025 to 2029.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) constructed a Future Tours Programme (FTP) to synchronize the women's events for the next five years. It was done to provide a methodical approach for women's cricket, which would ensure no overlaps between franchise tournaments and also reform the current international competitions.

In the newly introduced FTP, the Women's Premier League (WPL) has received a new slot. From 2026 onwards, the WPL will be played in the January-February window, which means the tournament is fast-tracked for a month.

The first two editions of the WPL took place in the February-March window, but BCCI decided to move the WPL a month, which prompted Cricket Australia (CA) to reschedule Women's Big Bash League (WBBL). The FTP schedule also designates specific windows for The Hundred in August and the WBBL in November.

Women's T20 Champions Trophy Introduced

ICC has further announced a new T20 Champions Trophy as part of its strategy to host at least one global women's tournament annually. Scheduled for 2027 in Sri Lanka, this event will feature six teams competing across 16 matches. This addition enriches the women's cricket calendar significantly.

Incorporating this tournament means there will be three major global events within a year. These include the Los Angeles Olympics in August 2028 and the T20 World Cup in September 2028. Such scheduling ensures continuous engagement and visibility for women's cricket on an international stage.

Apart from the T20 format, there are changes in the ODI and Test formats too. The ICC ODI Championship will see a new team in Zimbabwe. India, as per the FTP schedule, will host England, Australia, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe for ODI series, whereas they will travel to New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies and Ireland.