The BCCI has decided to shift matches of the fifth edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) from the Brabourne Stadium at the Cricket Club of India to the nearby Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, TOI has exclusively learnt, in order to ensure that the pitches at CCI are not overloaded due to the WPL, which will be held just before the inaugural edition of the ICC Women’s Champions League.
“The pitches at CCI will be a bit overloaded after hosting matches continuously in the WPL. The wickets need to be well-prepared and fresh for the inaugural edition of the Women’s Champions Trophy, which will be held at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai and the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara from Feb 14-28. Hence, the BCCI, in an Apex Council meeting a few days ago, took the decision to shift the matches from the CCI to the nearby Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai,” a source close to the developments told this paper.
The BCCI will soon make a formal announcement about the change in venue for the WPL. This is the first time that the Wankhede Stadium, which staged the 2011 men’s World Cup final, will host WPL matches, including the final on Feb 7, 2027. WPL-5 will be played across Vadodara and Mumbai from Jan 14 to Feb 7, 2027. The first leg will be played at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara, from Jan 14 to 24, while the second-leg matches at the Wankhede will begin from Jan 26.
“The WPL matches may move out of CCI, but we have requested the BCCI to reconsider keeping the CCI as a WPL venue. The International Cricket Council has a concern that when there are so many matches being played on the trot at CCI without a break, they are worried about the condition of the pitches. They don’t want the wickets to be overloaded as the ICC Champions Trophy is happening just after the WPL. They said there’s not enough time for the ground and the pitches to recover,” CCI Cricket Committee vice-chairman Premal Udani told TOI on Saturday.
“We have made our case and we hope the same will be considered. It’s not that they have found any deficiency in CCI. It’s just that they want the wickets to be fresh and not be overloaded. Although we keep our pitches in very good condition, at the end of the day, it’s an ICC championship, and we’ve to abide by their decision,” he added.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will begin their title defence against two-time winners Mumbai Indians in the opening match on Jan 14. The tournament will feature 22 matches, with Vadodara and Mumbai hosting 11 games each.
All five teams will feature in the opening phase, with Gujarat Giants taking on UP Warriorz in the second match on January 15.
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