The M Chinnaswamy Stadium, pencilled in for several headline fixtures at this year’s Women’s World Cup, may yet be scratched from the schedule after the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) missed the 10 August deadline to obtain police clearance.
Under ICC regulations, host grounds must be handed over to tournament organisers a full month before the first ball is bowled. With India due to open the event against Sri Lanka on 30 September, administrators now have only days to decide whether Bengaluru can stay on the roster. The Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram has already been sounded out as a back-up venue.
Should the change be confirmed, Thiruvananthapuram would take on a demanding list: England v South Africa (3 October), India v Bangladesh (26 October), the second semi-final (30 October) and, if Pakistan fail to qualify, the final on 2 November. The ground is currently set to host the Kerala Cricket League from 21 August to 7 September, but Kerala Cricket Association officials say they have a contingency plan “in place” to shift those domestic games if called upon.
According to the city police commissioner’s office no safety approval had been issued to the KSCA as of Monday, when the ICC marked 50 days to the tournament. The same lack of clearance forced the ongoing Maharaja Trophy T20 competition to relocate from Bengaluru to Mysuru despite offers to play behind closed doors.
In a last-ditch attempt, the state body is exploring a reduced-capacity model. Whether the BCCI, and by extension the ICC, will entertain that idea remains unclear. “The commission deemed the venue ‘unsafe’ for large-scale events and ‘strongly recommended’ moving them elsewhere,” stated the government report that followed June’s tragedy, when 11 people died and more than 50 were injured during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory parade outside the ground. KSCA secretary and treasurer resigned soon after, citing moral responsibility.
The fallout continues to bite. Teams had earmarked Bengaluru for pre-tournament camps, hoping to use both the Chinnaswamy nets and the three-square facility at Alur on the city’s outskirts. A switch south could disrupt those plans and place further strain on Kerala’s infrastructure, already preparing for warm-up fixtures on 25 and 27 September.
For now, all eyes are on the KSCA’s dialogue with local authorities. One senior association official, requesting anonymity, admitted time is “running short” but stressed “every option is being explored to keep the World Cup in Bengaluru.” Whatever the outcome, administrators face the delicate task of balancing public safety with the sport’s showpiece event—a reminder that cricket, much like the city that hosts it, can only thrive when the basics are firmly in place.
