Over two months since the June 4 stampede, Chinnaswamy Stadium is gearing up for a return to cricketing action. The home of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has been under turmoil ever since 11 people lost their lives in the aftermath of IPL 2025 celebrations. Having lost the Women’s World Cup games and the Maharaja Trophy, KSCA are slowly building towards normalcy at the iconic venue.
No fans yet, but Chinnaswamy Stadium returns closer to normalcy
As per ESPNCricinfo, the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will host 6 games of the K Thimmappiah Memorial Trophy. The tournament kicked off on Thursday in Mysore but Bengaluru will host one semi-final and the final from September 26. Fans however will not be allowed to watch the action for the live games.
The K Thimmappiah Memorial Trophy is Karnataka’s premier red ball competition, featuring 16 teams. The likes of Mumbai, Gujarat, Baroda and Vidarbha have all signed up this season. Prasidh Krishna, Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer are among the big names to feature in this year’s edition.
It marks KSCA’s baby steps towards restoring Chinnaswamy to its old grandeur. The stadium has been at the centre of a power struggle – with KSCA, state government and the police department all under separate enquiries following the stampede. The stadium was later declared unfit for large audiences, by a state government committee.
Bengaluru was set to host 5 Women’s World Cup 2025 games, including the semi-final. However, the ruling meant BCCI and ICC opted to shift to Navi Mumbai. The KSCA Maharaja Trophy, initially scheduled in Bengaluru, was also hastily moved to Mysore.
The K Thimmappiah Trophy could be the first test for Bengaluru to return to hosting cricket. Chinnaswamy is a iconic Indian cricket venue but risks losing out on the IPL 2026 and the T20 World Cup next year amid current crisis.
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