The Karnataka government has granted the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) approval to host matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, according to Cricbuzz.
In the aftermath of the Bengaluru stampede on June 4, which left 11 dead and around 50 injured, the venue was deemed unfit for mass gatherings. The Karnataka government had instructed the KSCA to resolve structural and safety issues to get clearance for hosting any cricket matches in the future.
The government’s ruling saw KSCA miss out on hosting the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025, Maharaja Trophy 2025, Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 and T20 World Cup 2026 matches in Bengaluru.
RCB coming home for IPL 2026
This had left Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) homeless. Only yesterday, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 champions had decided to pledge INR 4.50 crore for the installation of 300 to 350 AI-enabled cameras at the venue to KSCA to meet the safety standards set by the Karnataka government.
In the meantime, RCB were looking to host their home matches for the IPL 2026 at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai and the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur. Luckily for RCB, the Karnataka government has granted KSCA approval to host matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
“The permission is subject to compliance with specific terms and conditions prescribed by the Government and the concerned authorities. 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,” KSCA said in an announcement through a press note.
