GV of the rain falling during match 58 of the Indian Premier League season 18 (IPL 2025) between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders held at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on the 17th May 2025.(Sportzpics)
The government of Karnataka on Saturday granted permission to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to host the Indian Premier League as well as international matches for the upcoming season, the Karnataka State Cricket Association said in a statement. That means defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be allowed to play in front of their home fans in IPL 2026. All cricket activities were halted at the Chinnaswamy after 11 fans were killed in a stampede outside the venue during RCB’s IPL trophy celebrations last year.
“We are pleased to inform you that the Home Department, Government of Karnataka, has granted permission to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to host international and IPL matches at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The permission is subject to compliance with specific terms and conditions prescribed by the Government and the concerned authorities,” Vinay Mruthyunjaya, official spokesperson of KSCA said in a statement.
“KSCA is confident of fulfilling all the stipulated conditions. The Association has already presented a detailed compliance roadmap before the Expert Review Committee and remains fully committed to implementing all safety, security, and crowd-management measures in letter and spirit,” he added in the release.
The subsequent investigation had blamed the lack of crowd management measures for the stampede on June 4 when nearly three lakh fans thronged the venue to take part in RCB’s celebrations.
The new state association regime headed by former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad has been holding talks with various government agencies since last month to bring cricket back to the venue.
The development might also have put a temporary stop to the talks of Royal Challengers Bengaluru shifting their home matches to Raipur and Pune during this year’s IPL.
In an official communication to KSCA on Friday, RCB had proposed to install 300-350 AI-enabled cameras at the venue and offered to bear the estimated cost of Rs 4.50 crore for this initiative.
While a final decision in that regard will be taken in a KSCA Managing Committee meeting soon, it showed RCB’s desperation to keep their home matches at the Chinnaswamy.
(With agency inputs)
Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.
