Karnataka Govt Gives Green Light for IPL 2026 Matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium

The Karnataka government has approved the hosting of upcoming matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, clearing the way for the venue to stage games in the 2026 edition of the tournament.

The decision was taken on Monday, March 16, after an expert committee presented a detailed report on safety and preparedness during a meeting chaired by Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara at Vidhana Soudha.

Chinnaswamy Stadium will host the home fixtures of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who are scheduled to play five league matches at their home ground. The venue will also stage the opening match of the upcoming IPL season, with defending champions RCB set to face Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28.

The match will mark the first game at the stadium since the tragic stampede during RCB’s title celebrations in 2025 that claimed 11 lives.

RCB will also use the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur as their second home venue, where the franchise is scheduled to play two league matches. In addition, one playoff fixture and the IPL final are also slated to be held in Bengaluru.

Why Chinnaswamy Was Not Hosting Matches

Cricketing activities at Chinnaswamy had been suspended after the 2025 stampede during RCB’s IPL victory celebrations. The stadium also missed hosting the Ranji Trophy final earlier this year between Karnataka cricket team and Jammu and Kashmir cricket team, with the match shifted to Hubballi while safety upgrades were carried out.

Safety Measures Introduced

Following the recommendations of the Justice Cunha report, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) implemented several crowd management and safety measures to ensure smoother match-day operations.

KSCA secretary Santosh Menon said the association had already updated the expert committee on the progress of these upgrades aimed at improving spectator safety and crowd flow.

Key measures include:

35,000 spectator capacity cap to better manage crowd movement inside the stadium

Gates opening three to four hours before matches to prevent congestion at entry points

Separate entry queues for women and children to streamline access

Free metro rides for ticket holders in partnership with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited to ease traffic around the venue

Enhanced coordination between departments for security, crowd control and emergency response

KSCA thanked Home Minister G. Parameshwara for facilitating the approval and acknowledged the role of expert committee chairman G. M. Maheshwar Rao and member secretary Sreemant Kumar Singh for overseeing the safety review.

The association also expressed gratitude to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar for granting in-principle approval at the cabinet level.

The KSCA team, led by former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, coordinated with multiple agencies to implement the required safety and operational upgrades at the stadium.