Window For WPL, New T20 Champions League - Breaking Down ICC's Fresh Future Tours Programme

The new women's Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the 2025-29 cycle has earmarked dedicated windows for the Women's Premier League (WPL), the Hundred and Women's Big Bash League (WBBL). While WPL will be played in January-February from 2026 onwards, the Hundred is slated for August and WBBL for November. (More Cricket News)

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) moved the WPL, following which Cricket Australia rescheduled its women's big-ticket summer fixtures from mid-January to February-March to sidestep an overlap with WPL, which is the most cash-rich women's franchise league in the world currently.

The upcoming women's Ashes, which begins on January 12 next year, will be the last international matches that Australia will host in January until 2029. In the new window, Australia will host India for one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is after the WPL in January-February 2026.

Meanwhile, the ICC Women's ODI Championship will now have 11 teams in the new FTP with the inclusion of Zimbabwe. This is after Bangladesh and Ireland were added to the ongoing cycle that will end with next year's ODI World Cup in India in October. Zimbabwe's addition means all of ICC's Full Members barring Afghanistan, who do not field a women's team, will compete in the championship.

In the revamped Women's Championship format, every team will play four others at home and four away over a three-year cycle. In their first-ever appearance, Zimbabwe will welcome South Africa, West Indies, Ireland and Sri Lanka and will visit India, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Pakistan.

As has the pattern in the recent past, India and Pakistan will only face off in world tournaments in the new FTP, and not in bilateral series.

Furthermore, India will host Australia and England in high-profile home series, and also welcome Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. The Women in Blue will travel to New Zealand, West Indies, Ireland and South Africa in the 2025-2029 cycle.

Apart from this, India will also feature in a tri-series in England ahead of the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, the third team being reigning champions New Zealand. England will host the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup.

The ICC has also introduced a T20 Champions Trophy, which will be held in Sri Lanka in 2027, as part of its vision to have at least one global women's event every year. The new tournament will feature six teams who will battle it out over 16 matches. Thus, there will be three global events in a span of 12 months - the Los Angeles Olympics in August 2028 and the T20 World Cup in September 2028 being the others.