The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed the schedule for the first-ever ICC Women’s T20I Challenge Trophy. The tournament is set to begin on April 18 in Kigali, Rwanda. The five-team event will see hosts Rwanda face Italy in the opening match, while Nepal will take on the USA on the same day. The competition will run until May 2, marking an important step in expanding opportunities for emerging women’s teams in cricket.
This tournament has been introduced to give Associate nations more international exposure and regular match experience. The initiative is part of the ICC’s efforts to grow the women’s game globally, alongside events like the Emerging Nations Trophy.
The participating teams are Rwanda, Italy, Nepal, USA, and Vanuatu. They earned their spots based on their performances in the 2025 regional Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers. The format of the tournament will be a double round-robin, ensuring each team gets enough matches. Nepal and the USA will enter as strong contenders, with Nepal (21st) currently the highest-ranked among the five teams.
Vanuatu (30th) has the lowest rank and will be focusing on making an impact in the tournament after their win over higher-ranked Indonesia (20th) in a recent qualifier. Meanwhile, Rwanda will aim to make the most of their home conditions.
All matches will be played across two grounds at the GahangaCricket Stadium in Kigali.
Schedule
April 18
9:00am – Rwanda vs Italy
1:00pm – Nepal vs USA
April 19
9:00am – Rwanda vs Vanuatu
1:00pm – Italy vs Nepal
April 21
9:00am – Rwanda vs USA
1:00pm – Vanuatu vs Italy
April 22
9:00am – Rwanda vs Nepal
1:00pm – USA vs Vanuatu
April 24
9:00am – Nepal vs Vanuatu
1:00pm – Italy vs USA
April 26
9:00am – Rwanda vs Vanuatu
1:00pm – USA vs Nepal
April 27
9:00am – Rwanda vs Italy
1:00pm – USA vs Vanuatu
April 28
9:00am – Rwanda vs Nepal
1:00pm – Italy vs Vanuatu
April 3
9:00am – Italy vs USA
1:00pm – Nepal vs Vanuatu
May 1
9:00am – Rwanda vs USA
1:00pm – Italy vs Nepal
Also Read: “Fatigue after the T20 World Cup might be taking a toll for Mumbai Indians” – Ashwin
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