The fate of M Chinnaswamy Stadium hosting the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup matches in September-November hangs in the balance with Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) yet to get permission from local authorities to host the matches at the venue, where 11 people lost their lives in a stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru victory celebrations.
The Chinnaswamy Stadium, which is scheduled to host the World Cup opener on September 30 and one of the semifinals, is also in line to host the final if Pakistan doesn’t qualify for the title clash. Given the uncertainty, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given the state association time till Saturday to get the necessary permission. If not, the BCCI is planning to look at alternate options as it is keen to avoid any eleventh hour changes.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the board is aware of the situation and is in touch with the International Cricket Council. “We have learnt about the issue and are in touch with KSCA. As things stand, they still need to get permission from the relevant authorities to host the World Cup matches. Since the tournament is beginning on September 30, we don’t have enough time because ICC also needs clarity as early as possible. We have given them a couple of days. If they don’t get the required permission by Saturday, then we will be looking at other venues to host these matches,” Saikia told The Indian Express.
The probe commission set up by the Karnataka state government had raised several red-flags in its report regarding the safety measures in the stadium. The KSCA, which was planning to host the Maharaja Cup T20, initially behind closed doors, has now moved the entire tournament to Mysuru as they were denied permission to host the matches at the Chinnaswamy. It is understood that the KSCA has written to the government seeking clearance to host the World Cup matches, but so far there hasn’t been any positive developments.
The Chinnaswamy Stadium is one of the four venues in India that are scheduled to host the eight-team event. With Pakistan having its reservation to play in India, the ICC has allotted its fixtures to Colombo which is scheduled to host 11 matches. With teams set to criss-cross between India and Sri Lanka, the reason why the organisers picked Bengaluru as a venue was that it has an airport that includes an immigration centre and is closer to Colombo with an air time of 90 minutes.
Apart from the opening fixture, Bengaluru is also scheduled to host England vs South Africa (October 3), India vs Bangladesh (October 26) and second semifinal (on October 30). It is also in line to host the final in case Pakistan doesn’t qualify. The other venues in India which will host the World Cup fixtures are Vizag, Guwahati and Indore.
“Unfit for mass gathering”
Justice John Michael Cunha, who headed the probe commission set up by the state government to investigate the stampede that occurred on June 4, in his report has ‘strongly’ recommended that ‘stadium authorities consider relocating events that are expected to attract large crowds to venues that are better suited for such large gatherings.’ Apart from placing its recommendation, the probe panel has also mentioned that the Chinnaswamy stadium built in 1974 and sits in the heart of Bengaluru is unsafe for mass gatherings. “The design and structure of the stadium was unsuitable and unsafe for mass gathering,” the report stated.
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Since the stampede, the venue’s safety has come under sharp focus with the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) cutting off the power supply to KSCA for failing to comply with the fire safety norms at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
With Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, undergoing outfield renovation, the next option in the southern region for the BCCI, should it take the matches away from Bengaluru, is Hyderabad. But the Hyderabad Cricket Association has its own share of problems with its Apex Council suspending president A Jagan Mohan Rao, secretary R Devraj and treasurer CJ Srinivas Rao at an emergent meeting recently. All the three office-bearers were taken into police custody on charges of misappropriation of funds and forgery.
