Former ministerial adviser and community advocate Nitin Gupta has written to Premier Jacinta Allan urging the Victorian Government to bring at least one match from the Indian Women’s Cricket Team’s 2026 tour back to Melbourne. His call follows the team’s recent ODI World Cup victory, which he believes has created “a pretty good business case” for hosting a match in Victoria.
“There are matches all over Australia, but none in Victoria,” Nitin wrote in his email to the Premier. “Hobart, Tasmania has got two back to back matches. Wondering if it would be possible for Victoria to try and get at least one of the tour matches shifted to the MCG, or one of the other venues in Melbourne/Regional Victoria?”
He said hosting the team in Victoria would celebrate both sporting excellence and women’s participation in cricket. “Given the recent ODI World Cup Victory of Indian Women’s team – the crowd numbers and interest in that encounter would be pretty high. It would be a pretty good business case to bring one match to Victoria. Please give this a good thought. Given your record of supporting and empowering women, and women related events in past – this is something worth considering perhaps. If acted now, there is enough time to bring at least one match to Victoria.”
Cricket Australia had originally scheduled the third ODI against India for 1 March at Melbourne’s CitiPower Centre (Junction Oval), but delays with the installation of new floodlights have forced the fixture to be moved to Hobart. The decision means Victoria will not host a single women’s international this summer.
Peter Roach, Cricket Australia’s head of cricket operations and scheduling, said in a statement, “We are disappointed we have had to move this match from Junction Oval and that there will be no women’s international match in Melbourne this season. We anticipated the Junction Oval lights would be installed several weeks before this fixture and were looking forward to celebrating the first international match under lights at the ground.”
The MCG, which hosted a day-night Ashes Test last season, will also be unavailable due to renovation works. With the AFL season set to begin in early March, and both the MCG and Marvel Stadium under long-term football commitments, any venue change would require significant coordination between Cricket Australia, the AFL, and venue managers.
Despite the logistical hurdles, Nitin believes the case remains strong. “Victoria should host at least one women’s cricket match next year when the Indian women’s cricket team tours downunder, to build on the momentum of growing female participation in cricket, an opportunity to showcase this international game at the MCG, one of the most iconic cricket venues in the world,” he said.
Supporters of women’s cricket share his view. Kamini Saberwal, who has interviewed legends such as Kapil Dev and Allan Border, said Victoria should not miss the chance to celebrate the success of the Indian women’s team and the rise of the women’s game globally.
If both the MCG and Marvel Stadium remain unavailable due to existing AFL contracts and early-season scheduling, Nitin acknowledges the challenge but believes the discussion is worth having. Both venues have the infrastructure, broadcast reach and crowd capacity to elevate the match to a major event. For advocates like Nitin and Kamini, bringing women’s international cricket back to Melbourne would be more than symbolic — it would reflect the city’s enduring love for the game.
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