New Delhi, April 17 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released the schedule of the inaugural Women’s T20I Challenge Trophy, which will be held in Rwanda. The tournament will start on April 19 and will run till May 2.

It will be organised in Kigali city, where The Gahanga Cricket Stadium’s two adjoining grounds will host the matches.

According to the schedule, Italy will take on host Rwanda on the opening day of the five-team tournament, while Nepal takes on the USA. Vanuatu have a bye on day one, before taking on Rwanda on April 19.

The tournament is a newly introduced event by the ICC, designed to give greater exposure to Associate Member teams. It joins the Emerging Nations Trophy, whose first edition took place last November, as part of efforts to expand opportunities in international cricket.

The competition features the top-ranked team from each of the ICC’s five regions that did not qualify for the Emerging Nations Trophy. All five participating teams earned their spots based on their performances in the 2025 regional Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers.

Played in a double round-robin format, the tournament runs until May 2 and aims to provide consistent, high-quality match experience. This initiative is part of the ICC’s broader push to strengthen the women’s game globally and prepare emerging teams to compete against stronger opposition.

The event also aligns with the expansion of the Women’s T20 World Cup, which will grow to 12 teams in 2026, with plans already confirmed to further expand to 16 teams by 2030.

Nepal and the USA enter the tournament as strong contenders, having both competed in the most recent Global Qualifier earlier this year.

Nepal, ranked 21st in the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings, is the highest-ranked side in the competition.

Meanwhile, Vanuatu, currently ranked 30th, secured their place after an impressive campaign in the East Asia-Pacific Qualifier in Fiji last year, where they notably defeated 20th-ranked Indonesia.

Schedule

April 18

Rwanda vs Italy

Nepal vs USA

April 19

Rwanda vs Vanuatu

Italy vs Nepal

April 21

Rwanda vs USA

Vanuatu vs Italy

April 22

Rwanda vs Nepal

USA vs Vanuatu

April 24

Nepal vs Vanuatu

Italy vs USA

April 26

Rwanda vs Vanuatu

USA vs Nepal

April 27

Rwanda vs Italy

USA vs Vanuatu

April 28

Rwanda vs Nepal

Italy vs Vanuatu

April 3

Italy vs USA

Nepal vs Vanuatu

May 1

Rwanda vs USA

Italy vs Nepal

–IANS

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