Bengaluru is officially off the venue list for the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, with Thiruvananthapuram’s Greenfield International Stadium poised to take its place. The tournament, scheduled from September 30 to November 2, will see the Kerala capital host matches that were originally allotted to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Safety concerns after the June stampede force Bengaluru out of the Women’s ODI World Cup

The change comes after the Karnataka government declined to grant permission for hosting games in Bengaluru due to safety concerns following the tragic June 4 stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations. The incident, which claimed 11 lives and left over 50 injured, led to a government-appointed inquiry that found the Chinnaswamy Stadium “unsuitable and unsafe” for mass gatherings.

The Justice John Michael D’Cunha Commission’s report cited flaws in the stadium’s design and structure, warning that high-attendance events posed “unacceptable risks” to public safety, traffic management, and emergency preparedness. The findings have already forced the KSCA to shift the domestic Maharaja T20 Trophy and Maharani T20 matches to Mysuru and Alur, respectively.

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Bengaluru had been slated to host five matches, including the high-profile tournament opener between India and Sri Lanka on September 30, as well as one semi-final and potentially the final on November 2. England vs South Africa (October 3) and India vs Bangladesh (October 26) were among other key fixtures scheduled in the city, alongside two warm-up games.

Thiruvananthapuram joins host cities as the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup heads to the sub-continent

With the venue change, the ICC is expected to release an updated schedule soon. Sources indicate that Thiruvananthapuram was favoured over Hyderabad due to favourable weather conditions in late September and its proximity to Colombo, another tournament venue.

While the Greenfield Stadium has yet to host women’s international cricket, it boasts experience from staging four men’s T20Is, two ODIs, youth internationals, and serving as a warm-up venue for the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup. However, rain washed out the men’s warm-up matches in that tournament.

The 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup will be played in a round-robin format among eight teams - Australia (defending champions), Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka, with matches spread across Visakhapatnam, Indore, Guwahati, Colombo, and now Thiruvananthapuram.

This edition will also mark the first women’s global cricket event in the sub-continent since the 2016 Women’s T20 World Cup and the first Women’s ODI World Cup in India since 2013.

In a stunning development that could reshape their title defense, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to play the IPL 2026 season away from their iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Following a tragic stampede that claimed 11 lives and injured over 70 outside the venue on June 4, just a day after RCB’s historic IPL 2025 win, the Karnataka government has declared the stadium unfit for hosting major events, including high-profile cricket matches.

The incident occurred during a victory celebration parade that drew an estimated 300,000 fans, nearly ten times the stadium’s 35,000 capacity. Mismanagement of security and lack of crowd control were cited in a judicial commission’s scathing report, which held RCB, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), and event organizers DNA Entertainment Networks responsible for the chaos. Shockingly, all 79 police officers deployed for the event were stationed inside the stadium, with none outside to manage the massive crowd.

The Karnataka cabinet has approved legal action against key individuals from RCB, KSCA, and the event agency. While the state government initially appeared to blame the IPL franchise, it has since acknowledged failures on the part of senior police officials as well, including the suspension of Bengaluru’s police commissioner and other top officers. The official report, led by retired Justice John Michael D’Cunha, found the organizers operated without necessary permissions, failed to regulate entries, and ignored critical safety measures.

ALSO SEE: IPL to ban RCB? Stampede to put IPL 2025 winners in massive trouble

RCB set to play IPL 2026 away from Chinnaswamy after stampede tragedy forces stadium ban

As a consequence, RCB will lose the home-ground advantage at Chinnaswamy, a venue renowned for its electric atmosphere and die-hard fan base. The franchise will be assigned a new home stadium for the 2026 edition, though the BCCI has yet to confirm the replacement venue.

RCB had just finished their long wait for a title with Rajat Patidar's January coming out party as they defeated Punjab Kings at the 2025 IPL final in Ahmedabad, but the elations turned into a tragedy, and we are now dealing with the ramifications of it before what should be an eventful season.

The event has also sparked political blame games, where the opposition BJP is blaming the Congress-led Karnataka government for endorsing the event without any real enforcement of safety norms. The Karnataka Government ,meanwhile, pledges to restructure those safety norms before allowing a large, public events at the stadium. And with court processes continuing, with no solid timeline in which Chinnaswamy will become a cricket venue again, it is a difficult transition year for RCB away from home as defending champions, under significant public scrutiny.

The first IPL trophy celebration after an 18-year-long wait for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has gone horribly wrong after a stampede outside the home stadium that took away 11 lives, along with almost 50 injured victims. RCB and the co-organisers of the event have been booked under multiple sections.

Last Tuesday night (June 3), Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their first-ever IPL trophy after beating Punjab Kings in the Final of the IPL 2025 by six runs at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. On the very next day, RCB organised a victory parade and public felicitation ceremony at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where the completed RCB team members were present to celebrate.  

Deadly stampede at outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium

Before the felicitation event at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, there was a stampede situation outside the stadium. That horrible incident resulted in 11 unfortunate deaths and almost 50 more reported injuries, some of which were serious. Despite the stampede incident, the felicitation event continued. 

In the initial report, the overcrowded situation outside the stadium was the main reason, while there wasn't enough security to handle the unexpected large gathering outside the stadium. The stadium has a 35000-seating capacity, and the crowd was more than two lakhs outside the venue.  

See Also: Gautam Gambhir slams RCB management over M Chinnaswamy stampede incident

FIR has been filed against RCB and co-organisers

The Cubbon Park Police in Bengaluru have charged the IPL 2025 champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), event management company DNA, and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Some of these charges are as follows:

• BNS Section 105: Culpable homicide not amounting to murder
• BNS Section 115: Voluntarily to cause hurt
• BNS Section 118: Voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means
• BNS Section 125: Act endangering life or personal safety of others
• BNS Section 132: Assault or criminal drone to deter public servant from discharge of their duty
• BNS Section 190: Unlawful assembly

According to the ESPNcricinfo report, RCB are at the first of the accusation list of the FIR. Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered the suspension of the Inspector of the Cubbon Park police station. The CM further ordered the arrest of the representatives of each of the parties listed in the FIR.

In the meantime, CM added that his government handed over the enquiry to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) and planned to appoint a commission to probe the tragedy.

Gautam Gambhir, team India head coach, has made a bold statement about the tragic stampaied incident during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2025 winning celebration. According to reports, 11 people had lost their lives and left many injured for the stampaied-like situation outside M Chinnaswamy stadium, where the champion team was felicitated.

This incident shook the cricket world as well as the entire nation. Fans were gathered out there to celebrate and experience a memorable time, but among those few will never come back. Gautam Gambhir has a clear opinion about the incident. Team India coach even said that he never believed in road shows as well. He said in the press conference, "I was never a believer in having road shows - I thought so as a player & think of it now - My heart goes out to those who suffered from tragedy."

India will travel to England for the 5-match Test series starting on June 10. Prior to the tour, Gambhir and newly appointed Test captain of Team India, Shubman Gill, were presented in a press conference today (June 5). There, they have to face multiple questions related to the series, their squad, individual players, and Bengaluru. 

Read More: 'You will be banned for two matches' - Yograj Singh criticizes Shreyas Iyer's dismissal in RCB vs PBKS IPL 2025 final

India vs. England Test Series 2025 Schedule:

First Test: June 20-24, Headingley (Leeds)

Second Test: July 2-6, Edgbaston (Birmingham)

Third Test: July 10-14, Lord’s (London)

Fourth Test, July 23-27, Old Trafford (Manchester)

Fifth Test: July 31-August 4, The Oval (London)

India’s squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav. 

A disappointing update for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans and cricket followers in Bengaluru who are eagerly waiting for the open bus victory parade of team RCB. Due to immense crowd gatherings and massive traffic congestion in Bengaluru city, RCB's open bus parade has been cancelled in Bangalore. The update came during the daytime on Wednesday. 

Along with the streets of the city, the airport has witnessed a huge number of crowds in front of the entrance to see their favorite team with the IPL 2025. Keeping an eye on the situation, some sources claim that due to traffic reasons, the victory parade is unlikely to happen. 

As soon as the news broke out, fans on social media started to protest and demand the much-awaited open bus parade. The situation is now critical. From the broadcasting side, it claimed that the bus parade is set to go; on the other hand, some media reports suggested earlier that the event is cancelled. But another update has come. The players will meet Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar at 4:00 PM IST. The meeting will take place at Taj Bengaluru.

Read More: WATCH: RCB Director of Cricket Mo Bobat delivers emotional Thank You speech after historic IPL title win

Advisory for general people:

• There will be a felicitation function for the RCB team at the Chinnaswamy Stadium from 5 PM to 6 PM.

• Entry is restricted to ticket/pass holders only. 

• There will be no victory parade. 

• Due to limited parking, the public is advised to use the metro and other transportation. 

• The public is advised to avoid the CBD area from 3 PM to 8 PM (today, Wednesday).

It was midnight after the historic moment. Every part of the country and the cricket-loving peoples around the globe were touched by the news that Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifted the IPL trophy. Waiting for 18 years was over; Virat kissed the shining golden trophy. The clock indicates it was past midnight, time to go for some sleep, but for all Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Virat Kohli fans, it's a new dawn for them.

The 'king' who has conquered the world topped the cash-rich at last. The crackers burst, colors all over the dark sky, and people were glittering in the joy. Social media platforms were flooded with videos, photos, and frames of the celebrations from various cities. Not only Bengaluru, but all fans around India celebrated that surreal, magnificent moment. Through this article readers have the opportunity to go through a thread, from where they can find 31 cities from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh that took part in the celebration. 

Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya tilt the momentum 

Virat Kohli was the star performer with the bat for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, scoring 43 runs through an anchoring role. Virat's slow-paced innings was supported by multiple cameos from the captain, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, and Phil Salt. But it was Krunal Pandya who took the man of the match award home for his brilliant display in bowling.

Read More: IPL 2025 Final, RCB vs PBKS: What is the meaning of Ee Sala Cup Namdu?

Punjab Kings started to lose wickets at regular intervals, and Shashank Singh (30b, 61 runs) was left alone as their lone warrior. Pandya's tight bowling made PBKS batters work much harder to get runs according to the required run rate. He took 2 wickets and offered only 17 runs in his 4-over quota. 

Watch the thread here

#ViratKohli and #RCB Fans IPL Victory Celebrations From Different Parts of Telangana & Andhra Pradesh

A Thread
1. Secretariat Hyderabad pic.twitter.com/4wtcxcHlet

— Vamsivardhan PKVK (@Vamsivardhan_2) June 3, 2025

The IPL 2025 season will resume on Saturday, 17 May, after an eight-day halt caused by the military stand-off between India and Pakistan. As the league now heads into its final lap, seven teams remain in contention for the prestigious playoff spots. This break amid tough times has led to a revised schedule, with 17 matches now shifted to six locations. This change also implies that various franchises will lose their home advantage, adding uncertainty to the race for the playoffs.

Teams like Gujarat Titans (GT) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are the frontrunners as they are placed far better than the other contender teams, who have their task cut out for the playoffs. However, with several matches still to be played, the battle remains wide open. Additionally, it is also expected that it will certainly heat up significantly in the coming week as teams push for crucial points to secure qualification under a tight schedule and neutral venue challenges.

See Also: IPL 2025: RCB fans come up with great initiative to pay tribute to Virat Kohli's Test legacy

RCB Qualification Scenario for IPL 2025

Matches Played: 11, Points: 16, Net Run Rate (NRR): 0.482

Upcoming Matches: Home – KKR (17^th May), SRH (23^rd May); Away – LSG (27^th May)

Best Possible Finish: 22 points

RCB have played 11 matches, earning 16 points with a net run rate (NRR) of 0.482. With three league games remaining—against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on May 17, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 23 at home, and an away game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 27—RCB can accumulate a maximum of 22 points. A single win in these fixtures could be enough to seal a playoff spot, but they still need to remain cautious, depending on how other teams perform in their remaining matches.

Although 16 points could suffice for qualification, it doesn't guarantee a top-two finish. Both GT and Punjab Kings (PBKS) can finish with 20 or more points. GT currently possess a superior NRR, giving them an edge in case of a tie in points. PBKS, on the other hand, can reach 21 points if they win all their remaining games. For RCB, winning two or more matches would certainly strengthen their chances of a top-two finish.