The Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to relocate upcoming Women’s Premier League matches from the Brabourne Stadium at the Cricket Club of India to the nearby Wankhede Stadium.
This strategic shift aims to prevent the overuse of pitches at the CCI facility before the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions League, according to reports from Yahoo Sports.
The ICC event is scheduled to take place at the Brabourne Stadium and the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara between Feb. 14 and Feb. 28.
An official source close to the developments explained the necessity of this decision to preserve the quality of the playing surfaces.
“The pitches at CCI will be a bit overloaded after hosting matches continuously in the WPL,” the source told Yahoo Sports.
The WPL, which is entering its fifth edition, will run from Jan. 14 to Feb. 7, 2027.
The tournament will feature 22 matches divided equally between the venues in Vadodara and Mumbai.
The first leg of the competition will occur at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi from Jan. 14 to 24, with the second leg beginning at Wankhede on Jan. 26.
Despite the venue change, the Cricket Club of India has expressed a desire to remain involved.
CCI Cricket Committee vice-chairman Premal Udani acknowledged the concerns raised by international officials regarding pitch recovery time.
“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,” Udani stated to Yahoo Sports.
He added that while they keep their pitches in excellent condition, the club must abide by the decisions made for the international championship.
The opening match on Jan. 14 will see the defending champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru face the Mumbai Indians.
The WPL final is set to be played at the Wankhede Stadium on Feb. 7, 2027.
The BCCI is expected to issue a formal announcement regarding the venue adjustments in the near future.