Women's Cricket World Cup: Why Bengaluru lost World Cup hosting rights

Bengaluru’s iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium was removed as a host venue for the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup after state authorities refused to clear the ground for international matches following a deadly stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations in June. The June 4 stampede killed 11 people and injured many more; a subsequent government probe described the stadium as “fundamentally unsafe” for large events. As a result, the Karnataka authorities did not grant the mandatory police approvals by the deadline set by the BCCI, and the ICC reallocated the matches to other venues, including DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Why Bengaluru lost the Women World Cup matches

On June 4, a crowd crush outside the stadium during RCB celebrations left 11 dead and scores injured. The incident triggered a state-commissioned inquiry. The probe, headed by a government-appointed panel, raised serious safety and crowd-control shortcomings and called into question the stadium’s readiness for large-scale public events.

With the police approvals not secured and the safety concerns on record, the ICC, in consultation with the BCCI and state authorities, moved the scheduled matches out of Bengaluru. The revised schedule, announced in late August, named DY Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai) among the replacement venues that will host the games originally planned for Bengaluru.

Why police approvals were required?

International fixtures require formal clearances from state police and local authorities for crowd control, emergency services, parking, fire safety and related permissions. After the stampede, police authorities reportedly issued a long list of additional conditions and felt the stadium could not meet them in time for the World Cup. Without those statutory approvals, the BCCI and ICC could not risk holding World Cup matches there.

Bengaluru lost its Women’s World Cup fixtures because of a safety crisis and the resulting inability to secure mandatory police and government clearances in time.