When India hosts the Women’s World Cup in September-October, Visakhapatnam has emerged as the top choice for the opening fixture, while four other venues have been shortlisted for the remaining matches.
With the ICC event coinciding with men’s fixtures and domestic tournaments, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has chosen Mullanpur, Indore, Thiruvananthapuram and Guwahati as the other possible venues.
During the BCCI’s apex council meeting in Kolkata on Saturday, it was deliberated that the tournament, spanning over nearly three weeks, will be played across five venues, keeping the weather conditions and logistics in mind.
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With Mumbai and Vadodara hosting the just-concluded Women’s Premier League, there were discussions on those two venues as well, but sources indicate that with both regions usually witnessing rains till early October, it was decided against slotting any games in those two venues.
“The apex council has agreed on five venues and now it will be sent to the ICC, which needs to give the final approval since it is a global event,” a source aware of the development, told Sportstar.
Visakhapatnam, a Test centre and a regular IPL venue, will be hosting the opening ceremony, while the final could be held in either Indore or Guwahati. “There were deliberations on a lot of issues and it was decided that it would be wise to keep the tournament restricted to just five venues to ensure there are no major logistical challenges,” the source said.
Once the global body approves the centres recommended by the BCCI, there will be proper recce of all the venues before going ahead.
