ICC took a big decision even before Jay Shah took over as the President

Women Premier League: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the Future Tour Program (FTP) for women from 2025 to 2029, which is a big step towards giving new dimensions to women's cricket. In this FTP, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)'s Women's Premier League (WPL) has been given a special window, which will now pave the way for more and more foreign players to join this league. Apart from this, England Women's The Hundred and Cricket Australia's Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) have also been given a place in this FTP. This decision of the ICC is a big step towards giving a new identity and wide coverage to women's cricket at the international level.

Women's Premier League gets special window of January-February

BCCI's Women's Premier League (WPL) has been given a separate window by the ICC in January-February, so that there is no other T20 tournament at this time and the best players from around the world can participate in this league. This will give more popularity to WPL not only at Indian but also at global level and will help in raising the level of women's cricket.

Women's Big Bash League and Women's The Hundred also got a place

Along with the Women's Premier League, the ICC has also provided a separate window in the FTP to Women's The Hundred played in England and Australia's Women's Big Bash League. The Women's Big Bash League has been given a place in the November window, while Women's The Hundred has got a place in the month of August. This will give the players adequate rest time during the organization of all the big leagues and they will be able to perform better. By including these three major leagues in the FTP, the ICC has tried to strengthen women's cricket further.

West Indies women's team will play its first Test after 20 years

Under a historic decision in this FTP of the ICC, the West Indies women's team will play its first Test match after a long gap of 20 years. This match will be played against Australia in March 2026 as part of a Test series. There will also be series of other formats in this series. The West Indies women's team last played a Test match against Pakistan in 2003-04. This decision will arouse new interest in women's cricket in Test cricket and will prove to be important in the development of the game.

Indian women's team tour and domestic series

Many exciting series have also been kept in the FTP for the Indian women's cricket team. In the year 2026, the Indian women's team will tour Australia and South Africa, where it will play matches in various formats including Tests. Apart from this, India will also get a chance to play Test series on home ground. Under this FTP, the Indian women's team will play Test series against Australia and England at home, which will be a big attraction for Indian cricket fans.

Expansion of Women's ODI Championship

The ICC has also decided to expand the Women's ODI Championship, so that women's cricket can get encouragement in more and more countries. The expansion of the ODI Championship will give new countries a chance to play at the international level, which will increase the popularity of women's cricket and expand the scope of the game.

Conclusion

This new Women's FTP by ICC reflects the growing importance of women's cricket. Decisions like providing special windows to major T20 leagues and new initiatives in Test cricket are further empowering women's cricket globally. This move by ICC will prove to be a milestone in taking women's cricket to new heights and bringing diversity to the game.