The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai will fill the gap left by Bengaluru on the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup schedule, the ICC confirmed on Friday while releasing its tweaked fixture list. The tournament still begins on 30 September, but the opener – India v Sri Lanka – moves to Guwahati.
Key changes first. Navi Mumbai collects five matches: India v New Zealand on 23 October, India v Bangladesh on 26 October, Sri Lanka v Bangladesh (shifted from Colombo) on 20 October, the second semi-final on 30 October and, if Pakistan miss out, the final on 2 November. One other switch sees Sri Lanka v England (11 October) head from Guwahati back to Colombo.
Why the late reshuffle? Put bluntly, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) could not secure the police clearances needed to stage games at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Authorities remain wary after the tragic stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory parade on 4 June, an incident that left 11 dead and dozens injured. A state-appointed one-member panel later branded the ground “unsafe” for large gatherings, and the police have stood firm since.
The knock-on effects keep stacking up for the KSCA. Power has been cut to parts of the venue due to outstanding fire-safety issues; the Maharaja T20, Karnataka’s flagship domestic franchise tournament, had to decamp to Mysuru; even a behind-closed-doors proposal was rejected. Top-flight cricket has not been seen in the city since an RCB-Knight Riders wash-out on 17 May.
Thiruvananthapuram briefly appeared on the BCCI’s radar as an alternative, with the Kerala Cricket Association keen to step in. Direct flight links – or rather, the lack of them – scuppered that idea. Navi Mumbai, with its better connectivity and a stadium familiar with international women’s fixtures, became the practical choice.
Back in June the ICC had pencilled Bengaluru in for the India-Sri Lanka opener, the 30 October semi-final and, conditions allowing, the 2 November final. Those plans are now history. For local fans in Karnataka it is another disappointment, but for the tournament itself the organisers insist the revised itinerary still offers fair rest periods and straightforward travel for all eight teams.
Looking ahead, the on-field storylines remain intact. India will play both their group games in Navi Mumbai on a surface that tends to reward stroke-play, while Guwahati – hosting its first senior women’s World Cup match – gets an opener likely to draw a full house. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, originally set to meet in Colombo, will now do so on India’s west coast, adding a neutral-venue twist.
Cricket logistics can be unforgiving, yet most experts agree the ICC had limited room to manoeuvre. As one senior official put it earlier this week, “safety has to come first, even if it means rewriting half a schedule.” Few would argue with that after June’s events.
So, a new city, a reshuffled map, but the same ultimate prize. The Women’s World Cup keeps its 2 November finish line, and Navi Mumbai has a chance to stage the deciding game – unless Pakistan gate-crash the knockout stages. Either way, the countdown resumes.
