Logistical challenges have forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to stage the ongoing edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) across just two venues – Navi Mumbai and Vadodara. However, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed that the number of venues would increase in the future as more teams are added to the competition.
“Earlier, we hosted the tournament across four venues – Delhi, Lucknow, Vadodara and Navi Mumbai. But this time we are doing it only in two venues, because Delhi will be hosting the T20 World Cup, whereas there are issues with Lucknow,” Saikia told Sportstar.
Revealing that Lucknow will not be considered for women’s cricket because of a lukewarm response in the past, the secretary said: “There is always a shortage of crowd for women’s cricket. Even for IPL matches, there is less crowd than at other venues. So we are not requesting Lucknow to host women’s events because we want people to come and enjoy the game.”
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With Bengaluru also ruled out, the options were limited. “So, we have been left with very few options. Vadodara is a wonderful venue, and on the other hand, we have seen the crowd response and the facilities at the D.Y. Patil Stadium for the Women’s World Cup final. It was wonderful. These two venues are helpful for us logistically as well,” Saikia said.
Saikia reiterated that more venues would be added as the league expands. “But in the coming times, when the number of teams in the WPL also increases, the number of venues will also certainly increase.
“Otherwise, we have very limited States because we have to look into the territory of those franchises. We cannot have a match in Kolkata or Chennai because neither of those cities has any WPL franchise. Therefore, all the other States are also ruled out,” he said.
Published on Jan 24, 2026
