Thiruvananthapuram Emerges as Potential Replacement for Bengaluru as Women's ODI World Cup 2025 Venue, Explained Here
The 2025 Women's ODI World Cup is set to make a historic return to India, with the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram set to replace the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru as a venue for the tournament.
The change of venue is due to safety concerns at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which faced issues following a stampede during IPL celebrations in June 2025. The unfortunate incident resulted in 11 deaths and over 50 injuries, raising serious safety concerns.
The Justice John Michael D'Cunha Commission found that the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is ill-equipped to host large-scale events in a safe manner. As a result, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) shifted Maharaja T20 Trophy games to Wadeyar Ground in Mysuru and the Maharani T20 competition matches to Alur, due to safety concerns at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The ICC is expected to officially announce the change of venue soon. Thiruvananthapuram is likely to host several matches, including the tournament opener and a semi-final. Bengaluru, originally the venue for the opening game of the women's ODI World Cup between India and Sri Lanka, one semi-final, and possibly the final on November 2, will no longer be hosting these matches.
The Greenfield International Stadium is an ideal venue for the Women's ODI World Cup due to its weather conditions and proximity to Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital, which is another venue for the tournament. The stadium has previously hosted four men's T20Is and two ODI games, as well as Youth Tests and ODIs.
The 2025 Women's ODI World Cup will be the first women's global cricket event in the sub-continent since India hosted the 2016 ICC Women's T20 World Cup. The tournament will follow a round-robin format among eight teams - defending champions Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.
The investigation into the June 4 stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is still ongoing. The uncertainty over future matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has persisted since the incident.
[1] Source: [URL for the news article about the stampede] [2] Source: [URL for the news article about the change of venue] [3] Source: [URL for the news article about the matches to be held in Thiruvananthapuram] [4] Source: [URL for the news article about the safety concerns and lack of permission from the Karnataka government]
Despite the ongoing investigation, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will not be hosting the opening game of the Women's ODI World Cup due to safety concerns, as announced by the ICC. Instead, the weather-friendly Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, a venue known to accommodate large-scale events, will host several matches, including the tournament opener and a semi-final.
