Six teams and key players set for Women's Champions Trophy
The tournament features Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka, with six players highlighted by the ICC as ones to watch.
Six women's teams will contest the inaugural ICC Women's Champions Trophy in India early next year, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement.
Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka will play a Twenty20 International format tournament, with each team featuring a mix of experienced and emerging players.
The ICC singled out Australian batter Phoebe Litchfield, who has scored 687 runs in 39 T20Is at a strike rate of around 137.95.
Litchfield also scored 304 runs in seven matches at an average of 50.67 at the 2025 Women's Cricket World Cup, which India and Sri Lanka hosted.
India's Shafali Verma has played 122 T20Is and maintains a career strike rate above 140, the body said.
Verma has taken 22 wickets in the format at an average of 21.36, and she scored 179 runs at the Women's T20 World Cup earlier this year.
England's Lauren Bell has taken 67 T20I wickets at an average of 18.86, and she claimed seven wickets at the T20 World Cup this year.
New Zealand's Georgia Plimmer has scored 772 runs in 57 T20Is at a strike rate of 104.6, the ICC noted.
South Africa's Nadine de Klerk has taken 64 T20I wickets at an economy rate of 7.7 and scored 852 runs at a strike rate of 105.44.
Sri Lanka's Harshitha Samarawickrama has compiled 1,977 T20I runs across 99 matches at a strike rate of 101.8, the body added.
The ICC described the tournament as a new chapter for women's cricket, with the first edition due to take place in India in early 2027.