Mumbai replaces Bengaluru as Women’s World Cup venue, with the DY Patil stadium replacing the Chinnaswamy stadium.
Along with an updated schedule for the eight-team competition, the ICC confirmed that the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai will serve as the fourth Indian venue for the 2018 Women’s World Cup, which begins on September 30. The tournament opener between India and Sri Lanka is now scheduled to take place in Guwahati, per the revised schedule.
Two group matches between India (against New Zealand on October 23 and Bangladesh on October 26), the match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh (originally scheduled for Colombo on October 20), the second semi-final (October 30), and possibly the final, on November 2, if Pakistan does not qualify, will all take place in Navi Mumbai. Another match will go from Guwahati to Colombo: England vs. Sri Lanka on October 11.
Following a stampede that claimed 11 lives during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) IPL triumph celebrations on June 4, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) was unable to secure police approvals to conduct games at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The BCCI has considered Thiruvananthapuram as a possible Bengaluru substitute before Mumbai. Although the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) stated that it was prepared to host, it is thought that one of the main obstacles was the absence of direct flights from the city to some of the other locations.
Reason for the change
Bengaluru was listed as one of the tournament’s five locations by the ICC in June when they announced the dates. The city was supposed to host one of the semi-finals on October 30 and the final on November 2 (assuming Pakistan didn’t qualify), in addition to the opening match between hosts India.
The KSCA has seen multiple run-ins with the police, Bengaluru’s local authorities, and the energy department, which has cut off the venue’s power supply due to non-compliance with fire safety requirements. This is the latest setback for the organisation.
Since the stampede on June 4, Bengaluru has not hosted any top-tier cricket matches. The state government then established a one-member commission to look into the issue and held the franchise and KSCA accountable for the parade’s poor execution.
The stadium was later declared “unsafe” to hold major events by the committee. The police have since denied the KSCA permission to hold games at the Chinnaswamy.
The Maharaja T20, the state’s top franchise competition, had to be moved from Bengaluru to Mysuru as a result of this. The KSCA volunteered to hold the competition behind closed doors, but the authorities forbade even that.