Bengaluru facing real threat of losing Women’s World Cup games as they are yet to get the police aprrovals.
Bengaluru at risk of losing Women’s World Cup games.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) missed the August 10 deadline set by the BCCI to obtain police approvals to hold the games at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which could result in the loss of the Women’s World Cup matches played there.
As a substitute, Thiruvananthapuram’s Greenfields Stadium is being considered.
Currently, Bengaluru is set to host the tournament’s first encounter between India and Sri Lanka on September 30, as well as matches between Bangladesh and India on October 26, England and South Africa on October 3, the second semi-final on October 30, and potentially the final on November 2.
A venue must be turned over to the organisers at least one month before the competition, per ICC regulations. Because Thiruvananthapuram is also expected to be assigned World Cup warm-up matches on September 25 and 27, the BCCI and ICC will need to make a decision within a week.
As of Monday, when the ICC had a ceremony in Mumbai to commemorate the 50-day countdown to the tournament, the KSCA had not received approval for the Chinnaswamy Stadium, according to the police commissioner’s office.
Current KSCA situation
The Maharaja Trophy, the KSCA’s T20 competition, is presently taking place in Mysore. The KSCA offered to play the matches behind closed doors, but they were unable to get police authorisation, therefore the tournament had to be moved out of Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The KSCA is reportedly considering the prospect of holding World Cup matches with a smaller capacity as a last resort to obtain police permits. Given that the Chinnaswamy Stadium will also host the final in the event that Pakistan does not qualify, it is uncertain if the BCCI would accept such a request.
A commission appointed by the state government to look into the stampede declared the Chinnaswamy “unsafe” for major gatherings late last month. Large-scale event relocation to locations “better suited” to manage sizable crowds was “strongly recommended” by the commission.
A number of teams had hoped to be stationed in Bengaluru and train at several practice locations, including the KSCA facility in Alur on the outskirts of the city, in the run-up to the event. However, the uncertainty may cause these plans to fall through.