4 matches: 3 wins, 1 NR – DY Patil Stadium, India’s new fortress in Navi Mumbai?

These were Harmanpreet Kaur’s words in the press conference about the DY Patil Stadium after India lifted the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup title late on Sunday.

Jemimah Rodrigues, the star Indian batter, also had similar sentiments after her match-winning century against heavyweights Australia in the semi-finals regarding the venue, which is essentially her home ground as a khadoos Mumbai cricketer.

Having first hosted a women’s international match only three years ago in December 2022, the DY Patil stadium, located in the suburb of Nerul in Navi Mumbai, has quickly turned into a fan favourite venue within the Indian setup.

The fact that the stadium has never disappointed with a large number of fans thronging the arena even during insignificant match days has helped.

“The biggest thing is, there has always been a good crowd here [DY Patil] and they are very supportive,” said Harmanpreet.

It was no different this time around. Despite India showing up at the venue on the back of three back-to-back losses and their campaign in doldrums, the stadium was packed in their first 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup match at the venue against New Zealand.

“As soon as we reached Mumbai, the first thing we spoke of was “Ab apne ghar aa gye hai [Now we are at our home]. We should not look back now, whatever happened in the past, leave it there and let's start afresh,” the Indian captain added.

The shift to DY Patil Stadium seemed to have flicked a switch within the team. They played four matches at the venue after those three consecutive losses and remained unbeaten, winning three, including the semi-final and final. The other match against Bangladesh was washed out.

Despite the must-win clash against New Zealand being the first-ever ODI the Indian women’s team played at the stadium, their good results in the past in the other two formats gave a sense of self-belief to the team.

Indian women’s team record at DY Patil Stadium

The tied T20I was played in December 2022, with India equalling Australia’s 187, led by a half-century from Smriti Mandhana. The hosts later went on to win the match in a super over to level the series.

In the only Test match played at the venue, India defeated England by a massive margin of 347 runs, with Deepti Sharma registering a nine-wicket haul in the contest.

Add to it the fact that DY Patil Stadium hosted the inaugural Women’s Premier League, setting the franchise-based T20 competition for success, and it is understandable why the Indian women’s team prefers playing at this ground.

It was, thus, baffling that the stadium in Navi Mumbai was initially ignored as a potential venue for the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup. It was only after the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru failed to get clearance from the local authorities following the stampede outside the stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 2025 Indian Premier League victory parade that DY Patil came into the picture.

The fact that some of the other major stadiums in the country were busy hosting Ranji Trophy, the premier first-class competition for men in India, also played its part in the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup moving to Navi Mumbai.

Inaugurated in 2008 as the home ground for the Mumbai Indians ahead of the inaugural season of IPL, DY Patil Stadium is slowly turning into a fortress for the Indian women’s cricket team.

With women’s cricket in the country expected to scale even higher following the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup win, the venue might remain central to India’s growth.