Chinnaswamy Stadium may lose key women’s World Cup fixtures

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru risks losing its Women’s World Cup fixtures after the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) missed the August 10 deadline set by the BCCI to obtain police clearances required to host matches at the venue.

As a result, the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram is emerging as the leading alternative to stage these important games.Currently, Bengaluru is slated to host the tournament opener between India and Sri Lanka on September 30, along with matches involving England vs. South Africa (October 3), India vs. Bangladesh (October 26), the second semi-final (October 30), and potentially the final scheduled for November 2.

Meanwhile, the Greenfield Stadium is preparing to host the second season of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) from August 21 to September 7. 

However, the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) reportedly has contingency plans to relocate the KCL matches to another venue if the stadium is confirmed as a World Cup host site.

According to ICC guidelines, a venue must be handed over to tournament organisers at least one month before the start of the event. 

Given this, the BCCI and ICC are expected to make a final decision within a week, especially since Thiruvananthapuram is also likely to host World Cup warm-up matches on September 25 and 27.

As of Monday—the day ICC marked the 50-day countdown to the tournament with an event in Mumbai—the KSCA had not secured the necessary police clearance for the Chinnaswamy Stadium, according to the police commissioner’s office. 

Efforts to contact KSCA CEO Subhendu Ghosh for comment have so far been unsuccessful.

Currently, the KSCA is conducting its T20 Maharaja Trophy tournament in Mysore after having to move it from the Chinnaswamy Stadium due to failure to obtain police permission, even after proposing to hold matches behind closed doors.

In a last-ditch effort to gain approval, the KSCA is reportedly considering hosting World Cup matches with reduced stadium capacity. 

It remains uncertain whether the BCCI would endorse this, especially since the Chinnaswamy is also a potential venue for the final, depending on Pakistan’s qualification.

The KSCA’s difficulties stem from a tragic incident on June 4, when a stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 victory parade outside the stadium resulted in 11 deaths and over 50 injuries. 

In the aftermath, KSCA secretary A. Shankar and treasurer E.S. Jairam resigned, accepting moral responsibility.

A state government-appointed committee investigating the stampede declared the Chinnaswamy Stadium “unsafe” for large-scale events. The commission strongly recommended relocating such events to venues better equipped to manage large crowds.

This uncertainty threatens to disrupt the preparations of several teams planning to be based in Bengaluru ahead of the tournament, who were intending to train at multiple practice facilities, including the KSCA complex in Alur on the city’s outskirts.