The historic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru has lost the rights to host the major ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in 2025. Five matches originally slated for the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, including the tournament opener and a potential semi-final, have been relocated to Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium. The decision comes in the backdrop of the deadly stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL 2025 victory celebrations in June, which killed 11 people and injured over 50.
The June 4 disaster outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium sparked outrage in the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). Thousands of supporters had congregated to celebrate RCB’s first IPL triumph, but crowd management failed, resulting in fatalities and dozens of injuries. The incident aroused indignation throughout the state, and the government held both the KSCA and the franchise accountable.
Post the disaster, the venue was declared unsafe for large gatherings by a state-appointed committee. Police permissions for hosting major events at the stadium have since been denied. Even KSCA’s proposal to stage tournaments behind closed doors was rejected. Subsequently, the Maharaja T20 League had to be shifted out of Bengaluru to Mysuru, further underlining the government’s tough stance.
Indian team announces 15-member squad for World Cup
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had initially granted KSCA multiple extensions to secure approvals from the police and local authorities. However, repeated failures forced the BCCI and International Cricket Council (ICC) to make a big decision. On August 22, the ICC officially announced the shift of all Bengaluru fixtures to Navi Mumbai, with participating teams informed of the changes.
Notably, Mumbai now joins Indore, Visakhapatnam, and Guwahati as the Indian host cities, alongside Colombo, which will stage all Pakistan matches as well as one semi-final and potentially the final, if Women in Green qualify.
The revised schedule is expected to be released soon, though the tournament dates, from September 30 to November 2, are unchanged. Bengaluru was originally allotted big fixtures, including India’s opening clash and a knockout game, which will now take place in Navi Mumbai.
The Chinnaswamy Stadium, once a regular host for international matches and IPL fixtures, has not hosted any big game since the June stampede. Issues with fire safety compliance, regulatory clearances, and power supply have led to questions being asked about KSCA’s credibility.
Meanwhile, there are growing concerns about whether the city will be able to host the men’s T20 World Cup matches next year or future IPL games if corrective measures are not quickly implemented. Furthermore, the Indian team revealed their 15-member squad on 19th August, with Harmanpreet Kaur set to lead the side.
India’s World Cup squad
Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh, Kranti Goud, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, N Shree Charani, Yastika Bhatia, Sneh Rana
Standbys: Tejal Hasabnis, Prema Rawat, Priya Mishra, Uma Chetry (wk), Minnu Mani, Sayali Satghare
India
