Piyush M Padwale
The renowned M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will not feature among the host venues for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025. The decision follows administrative hurdles and safety worries that emerged after a tragic incident on June 4, when celebrations of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL triumph turned chaotic, reportedly leading to 11 fatalities and multiple injuries.
A judicial probe has declared the stadium “fundamentally unsafe” for large events due to inadequate infrastructure and crowd control systems. The Karnataka government and police further refused to provide clearance required for World Cup matches, which eventually led to the decision of looking for alternative venues.
The proposed replacement venue is the DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai. This was chosen over Thiruvananthapuram’s Greenfield Stadium, which was initially considered, due to its proven track record with the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and strong infrastructure and crowd support for international women’s cricket.
Navi Mumbai will host some of the marquee matches, including Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka on October 20, India vs New Zealand on October 23, India vs Bangladesh on October 26, the second semi final on November 2, subject to Pakistan not qualifying for the championship match.
Bengaluru was originally slated to stage the tournament opener between India and Sri Lanka on September 30, but the fixture has been shifted to Guwahati. Meanwhile, the other scheduled venues: Guwahati, Indore Vishakapatanam in India and Colombo in Sri Lanka, will continue as planned.
The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 will be played between September 30 and November 2, spanning five venues across India and Sri Lanka. ICC Chairman Jay Shah released an official statement expressing confidence in the revised schedule, stating that Navi Mumbai adds to the lineup of “five world class venues” and is capable of showcasing women’s cricket at its best while inspiring new fans globally.
On the other hand, this comes as a major setback for the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, who once hosted several iconic games and enjoyed great success with its passionate fans, but due to its shortcomings and security issues, it will now miss out on contributing to a major global cricketing event.