Bengaluru loses all WC matches to Navi Mumbai

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday, announced a revised schedule for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, with Navi Mumbai replacing Bengaluru as one of the five venues.

- Samreen Razzaqui and Arun Dev

The decision comes in the wake of serious safety concerns surrounding the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium following the tragic stampede that happened around the venue on June 4 that claimed 11 lives.

The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai will now host five matches of the ODI World Cup, including three league-stage games — the tournament opener between India and Sri Lanka on September 30, and matches between England and South Africa (October 3), India and Bangladesh (October 26), the second semifinal on October 30, and possibly the final on November 2.

Bengaluru’s status as a host venue came under scrutiny after the Justice (Retd.) Michael D'Cunha Commission report declared the stadium “unsafe for mass gatherings” in its current condition.

The ongoing investigation of the June 4 stampede outside the stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL title celebrations and a related case being heard in the Karnataka High Court further impacted the stadium’s availability.

The judicial commission in its report had advised moving mass-gathering events to safer, better-equipped venues than M Chinnaswamy Stadium. It said the design of the stadium was also flagged as unsafe for large gatherings.