The Bengaluru stadium where 11 cricket fans died during celebrations in June will no longer host the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup matches including the opening game, the sport’s governing body said on Friday.
The 13th edition of the women’s showpiece 50-over tournament will begin on Sept 30. Pakistan is set to play its matches in Sri Lanka following India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy earlier this year, which resulted in a “hybrid model” being decided upon.
Mumbai will instead be one of the four Indian venues for the tournament, along with the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.
The tournament dates of Sept 30 till November 2 remain unchanged, as do the other venues, which are the ACA Stadium (Guwahati), Holkar Stadium (Indore), ACA-VDCA Stadium (Visakhapatnam) and R. Premadasa Stadium (Colombo, Sri Lanka).
The International Cricket Council cited “unforeseen circumstances” for moving games away from Chinnaswamy Stadium, without saying the specific reasons.
However, local media has said that police denied permission to the Karnataka State Cricket Association to host major matches at the stadium.
ICC Chairman Jay Shah believes the Navi Mumbai venue is ideal for women’s cricket, calling it a “genuine home for women’s cricket in recent years.”
“The support it has received during international fixtures and the Women’s Premier League has been remarkable, creating an atmosphere that elevates the players and inspires fans,” read the ICC statement.
On June 4 a victory parade by hundreds of thousands of fans for IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru turned deadly, with fans as young as 14 crushed to death and about 50 others hurt as supporters swarmed outside the gates of the venue.
The stadium was subsequently deemed “unsafe” by a judicial commission to host large crowds.
The opening match of the World Cup, between co-hosts India and Sri Lanka, will now be played in Guwahati.
Bengaluru had been scheduled to stage up to five World Cup games including the November 2 final, depending on whether Pakistan reach the title decider. The final will now be played in either Mumbai or Colombo.
