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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to move the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy out of Sri Lanka because of the government’s control of the board.

Currently, Sri Lanka Cricket’s affairs have been run by a government-appointed committee, which was brought in to oversee reforms to the board’s affairs, including changes to its constitution and governance structure.

The transformation committee had completed a draft constitution of the board and sent it to the Sports Minister. The proposed changes were awaited to undergo the legal process of being presented to Parliament.

The members of the Transformation Committee told the media that if expects for SLC elections to take place before the end of 2026, so long as the parliamentary process runs smoothly.

However, as per the ICC policy, no politically appointed administration is allowed. The ICC has also refused to allow SLC representatives to attend ICC Board meetings since the Transformation Committee took over.

“The ICC Board received an update on Sri Lanka Cricket and noted progress towards a revised Constitution. It reiterated the need for elections to be held as soon as possible and agreed that Sri Lanka Cricket would continue to be unable to be represented at ICC Board meetings for the time being,” said ICC in a statement released in July.

Beyond the financial implications of the tournament being withdrawn, there are likely to be consequences for the sport itself. With the tournament scheduled to be played between the top six teams in the ODI team rankings, including the hosts, Sri Lanka is out of the tournament.

Sri Lanka are currently in the seventh position. Australia, England, India, New Zealand and South Africa are in the top five, while the West Indies are in the sixth position of the rankings.

Previously, Sri Lanka had lost the hosting rights of the 2024 U19 World Cup, which was eventually moved to South Africa after Sri Lanka’s sports ministry had dissolved the elected SLC board.