The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 has been relocated to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to political instability in Bangladesh.

The tournament, originally scheduled to be held in Bangladesh, will now take place from October 3 to October 20 at two venues in the UAE—Dubai and Sharjah. The dates for the event remain unchanged.

This will be the ninth edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup. The ICC’s decision to move the tournament was driven by concerns over the political situation in Bangladesh. Despite the change in location, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will retain its hosting rights and will co-host the event in collaboration with the Emirates Cricket Board.

“It is a shame not to be hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh as we know the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would have staged a memorable event,” ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said in a statement.

While the UAE was selected as the new host, both Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe had also submitted bids to take over hosting duties.