Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium is all but certain to miss out on hosting matches in the upcoming ICC Women’s ODI World Cup after the Karnataka government denied permission for the venue to stage games. The decision follows the tragic stampede on June 4 during the IPL victory celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), which claimed 11 lives.
According to The Times of India, the ICC is now in discussions with the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) to shift some of the matches to Thiruvananthapuram’s Greenfield Stadium in Karyavattom. KCA president K Jayesh confirmed talks were ongoing with ICC officials.
Thiruvananthapuram in Line to Host Women’s World Cup
The Chinnaswamy Stadium was originally slated to host five matches in the tournament, including the final, provided Pakistan did not qualify, but the findings of the Justice John Michael D’Cunha-led commission labelled the venue “fundamentally unsafe” for large-scale events. The Maharaja Trophy T20 had already moved to Mysuru due to the same report.
“In light of these developments, ICC chairman Jay Shah met with KCA president Jayesh in Mumbai earlier this week and posed a pivotal question: ‘Are you ready to take over as the host?’” reported TOI.
The Kerala cricket stadium, with a 50,000-capacity, is ideally located and has a proven track record, having hosted 6 international matches, most recently in November 2023. This sets the stage for an electrifying atmosphere, even surpassing Chinnaswamy Stadium in terms of seating capacity.
“We assured him that Thiruvananthapuram is ready to host the Women’s World Cup matches. We have the necessary infrastructure in place,” Jayesh said. While awaiting ICC’s final nod, he added, “It’s not yet confirmed how many matches we will host. We are waiting for the ICC’s nod and several logistical challenges still need to be addressed.”
ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 matches originally planned for Bengaluru
| Date | Match Details | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, Tue | India Women vs Sri Lanka Women, 1st Match | 03:00 PM IST |
| Oct 03, Fri | England Women vs South Africa Women, 4th Match | 03:00 PM IST |
| Oct 26, Sun | India Women vs Bangladesh Women, 28th Match | 03:00 PM IST |
| Oct 30, Thu | TBC vs TBC, 2nd Semi-Final | 03:00 PM IST |
| Nov 2, Sun | TBC vs TBC (if Pak doesn’t qualifies) | 03:00 PM IST |
With the tournament set to run from September 30 to November 2, the BCCI and ICC face a race against time to finalise the new schedule. Bengaluru’s loss not only impacts the World Cup but could also have future implications for RCB in IPL 2026, should the safety verdict remain unchanged.
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