The writing was there on the wall, and now, it’s official. The ICC and the BCCI have shifted all matches, including the opener and the final of the Women’s Cricket World Cup, from M Chinnaswamy Stadium to Mumbai. With that, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru are all set to be homeless in IPL 2026. RCB have played their home matches at the venue since the inaugural season in 2008. Chinnaswamy has been an iconic IPL venue for some high totals, flying sixes and some fascinating knocks. Moreover, the venue is famous for its state-of-the-art sub-air system for drainage. However, the days are over, at least for now.
While the IPL franchise has maintained its silence on the matter since June 4, the Karnataka government has also not budged. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) is in a crisis after failing to get approval for the stadium for the Women’s World Cup. KSCA’s secretary and the treasurer resigned, taking moral responsibility, following the stampede on June 4 that took 11 lives and injured over 50.
Why is M Chinnaswamy Stadium blacklisted?
The Karnataka govt set up a one-man panel under retired High Court Justice John Michael D’Cunha to probe the stampede. In his report, D’Cunha noted that M Chinnaswamy Stadium is “unsuitable and unsafe” to host major events. He recommended that major events be held in better-equipped venues of international standards. D’Cunha also pointed out that the Chinnaswamy stadium does not have dedicated queuing areas, sufficient gates, parking and a comprehensive evacuation plan. As a result, the stadium lost its reputation and is now blacklisted.
With the Karnataka government accepting the recommendations, it announced an elaborate plan to build India’s second-largest cricket stadium in Bommasandra on the outskirts of the city. While the plan sounds great, it will take a minimum of two years if the work starts now. If the Chinnaswamy Stadium does not get government approval, it will lose T20 World Cup 2026 and IPL matches in February-March.
Manish Pandey and Karun Nair, both of whom have played for India and Karnataka, expressed disappointment over Maharaja Trophy matches shifting away from Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Is there hope for RCB?
While the government and authorities have refused to step in to save Chinnaswamy Stadium, it has become an election agenda for KSCA. Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad and Vinay Mruthyunjaya, who will contest the upcoming KSCA elections, have promised to restore Chinnaswamy’s glory.
“We would like to bring back international cricket. It’s such an iconic venue, Chinnaswamy Stadium, which has been standing for the last 50 years. This is something which has never happened. Even our own Maharaja Cup has also been moved out, which is not a good thing,” Venkatesh Prasad told the media during the launch of his election campaign.
Vinay Mruthyunjaya, who was in KSCA in different capacities, also promised to get the necessary permissions from government agencies to bring back matches.
“In the current situation, as you know that the permission has been denied. What we mean to say is, we are going to work together to see that as and when the match comes to Bangalore, we will put our efforts to get the necessary permissions from the government agencies,” Mruthyunjaya said.
That gives RCB a ray of hope to have matches back at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for IPL 2026, which is still six months away. However, considering the Karnataka govt’s stand on the matter, it is unlikely that the matter will be resolved anytime soon. Hence, RCB will have to look out for other venues.
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