Sri Lanka has lost the hosting rights for the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy due to continuing concerns over government involvement in the administration of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the Sunday Times reported.

The six-team tournament was scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka from February 14 to 28, 2027, but the International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to move the event to another country, according to the report.

“Yes, it has been moved out of Sri Lanka,” SLC Transformation Committee Secretary Prakash Shaffter told the Sunday Times.

“It will be played at another venue, but as of now, I am not sure where it will be played,” he said.

According to the Sunday Times, a new host is expected to be decided at the next ICC Board meeting.

SLC is currently administered by a government-appointed Transformation Committee tasked with overseeing reforms to the cricket board, including proposed changes to its constitution and governance structure.

The ICC has not allowed SLC representatives to attend its Board meetings since the Transformation Committee took over, with the global governing body previously stressing the need for elections to be held as soon as possible.

The Sunday Times reported that losing the tournament could result in financial losses for both SLC and Sri Lanka, including revenue that would have been generated through teams, officials, broadcasters, spectators and tourism-related activity.

The change of host could also affect Sri Lanka’s participation in the tournament. The inaugural competition is expected to feature the top five ranked teams alongside the host nation.

Sri Lanka are currently ranked sixth, meaning their qualification could be at risk if the new host is a country ranked outside the current top six, according to the report.

Sri Lanka previously lost the hosting rights for the 2024 ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup following an ICC suspension of SLC in 2023. The tournament was subsequently moved to South Africa.

The ICC has yet to publicly announce the new host or officially confirm the reported decision to move the 2027 Women’s Champions Trophy from Sri Lanka.