The famous M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru has been refused permission by the Karnataka government to host any of the forthcoming ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 matches. Only a few weeks before the competition begins on September 30, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was forced to change the locations of the matches.
The Justice John Michael D’Cunha Commission’s findings, which looked into the deadly stampede that occurred during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 victory parade on June 4, are what led to the venue shift. Eleven people were killed and another fifty injured during the festivities outside Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The stadium’s inadequate entry and departure points, poor public transportation connectivity, lack of appropriate queuing places, inadequate emergency evacuation preparations, and limited parking space are just a few of the safety issues identified in the commission’s study. It came to the conclusion that the stadium’s layout and construction made it essentially hazardous for big crowds, stating that holding significant events there could endanger public safety.
Mysuru will now host the Maharaja Trophy T20 matches.
In the event that Pakistan did not qualify, the location was also considered to host the November 2 competition final.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) suggested that the matches be held behind closed doors without spectators, but the government refused permission for them after the Karnataka cabinet accepted the commission’s recommendations. The request was denied, though.
The ICC originally gave Bengaluru four Women’s ODI World Cup matches, including India vs. Bangladesh, England vs. South Africa, and India vs. Sri Lanka.
For the same safety considerations, the Maharaja Trophy T20 matches were recently rescheduled from Chinnaswamy Stadium to Mysuru instead. Chinnaswamy has successfully hosted more over 750 matches, including almost 15 IPL seasons, without any significant incidents, according to the KSCA. Additionally, officials noted that the June 4 event was not an official cricket match but rather a privately planned party.
“Even our request to host matches without spectators was denied,” India Today cited a KSCA official as saying.
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Since Chinnaswamy is the only international-standard arena in Karnataka, Royal Challengers Bengaluru would have trouble staging their home games in the 2026 Indian Premier League, possibly having to move to a different city.
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