In a surprise announcement on January 24, bcci Lucknow has been officially ruled out as the venue for the current edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). bcci secretary Devjit Saikia Citing logistical constraints and a disappointing history of fan attendance in the Uttar Pradesh capital, it was confirmed that the tournament has been restricted to a two-venue ‘caravan’ model, Navi Mumbai and Vadodara.
BCCI sidelines Ekana Stadium for women’s cricket and WPL: Reasons behind the decision
According to Sportstar, the BCCI announced that the decision to move out of Lucknow’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium was taken due to the city’s inability to draw sufficient crowds for women’s cricket. Saikia said bluntly in his assessment“There is always a lack of crowd for women’s cricket. Even for IPL matches, the crowd is less.” [in Lucknow] Compared to other places. So we are not requesting Lucknow to host the women’s events because we want people to come and enjoy the game.
This move has come as a big shock UP WarriorsWho are effectively being denied home ground advantage for the second consecutive year. Saikia also said that Delhi has been left out as it is currently being prepared for the upcoming T20 World Cup, leaving the board with very few viable options to suit the franchise areas.
“Earlier, we hosted the tournament in four venues, Delhi, Lucknow, Vadodara and Navi Mumbai. But this time we are doing it in only two venues because Delhi will be hosting the T20 World Cup, while there are some issues with Lucknow.” Saikia added.
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Two-venue strategy for WPL 2026
BCCI announced that Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium and Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium will serve as special hosts for the 22-match tournament to ensure logistical efficiency. Saikia highlighted the success of the DY Patil Stadium during the 2025 Women’s World Cup final and said, “So, we are left with very few options. Vadodara is an amazing venue, and on the other hand, we have seen the crowd response and the facilities at the DY Patil Stadium for the Women’s World Cup final. It was amazing. These two venues are also helpful for us logistically.”
While fans in Kolkata and Chennai have also been vocal about wanting matches, the BCCI clarified that matches cannot be held in the cities without a dedicated WPL franchise. However, Saikia offered a glimmer of hope for the future by promising that “Otherwise, we have very limited states as we have to look at the territory of those franchises. We cannot have matches in Kolkata or Chennai as none of those cities have any WPL franchise. So, all other states have also been ruled out.” A massive expansion is being hinted at as the league adds more teams to its roster.
This article was first published here WomenCricket.comA Cricket Times Company.
