ICC Women's Champions Trophy to be held in India, Pakistan excluded

The International Cricket Council has decided to hold the ICC Women's Champions Trophy from February 14 to 28 in Mumbai and Vadodara. Six teams will participate in this tournament, but Pakistan's team is not included.

ICC had initially awarded the hosting rights of this tournament to Sri Lanka, but due to political interference in the cricket board there and the absence of elections as per guidelines, the hosting was handed over to India. Teams from India, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sri Lanka will play in the tournament.

By the qualification cutoff date set on July 6, 2026, Pakistan's team was not in the top 6, while Sri Lanka was. Therefore, Pakistan did not get a place in this tournament. ICC stated that six teams had qualified according to the women's T20I rankings as of the July 6 cutoff date. These teams will play league matches in a round-robin format.

Before the current coaching setup came in, Pakistan's ODI team was ranked eighth and T20 International team ninth. The team management has tried to understand Salman’s position through discussions. Mohsin Naqvi said, "He is never afraid of criticism and hopes for improvement in Pakistan cricket in the coming days."