The Karnataka cabinet has cleared Royal Challengers Bengaluru to play their IPL 2026 home matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The ground had been barred from hosting fixtures after the June 4 stampede during RCB’s first IPL title celebrations. The incident also led to the Women’s World Cup final being shifted from Bengaluru to Navi Mumbai. On the evening of February 12, the state government lifted the ban, allowing matches to resume at the venue, though certain conditions will apply.
“The cabinet agreed with certain conditions as per the Cunha report. He had mentioned certain conditions in the report, a maximum of 35,000 people, and some other conditions. Accordingly, we have taken the decision,” Karnataka Minister Ramalinga Reddy said.
New KSCA chief Venkatesh Prasad was very vocal during the elections, stating that he wants to bring IPL and international cricket back to Bengaluru. For the same, he held multiple meetings with the Karnataka government and RCB management and finally, a solution has been found.
“After a cabinet meeting, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara will give a clarification this evening on the holding of IPL inaugural ceremony in Bengaluru,” Venkatesh had said earlier in the day.
The defending champions, in the meantime, were looking for a different venue as they shortlisted the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai and the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur. However, reports recently claimed that Mumbai Indians have blocked RCB’s plan to play at a stadium that’s in close proximity to Wankhede.
RCB yet to comment
The RCB management is yet to comment on the development. Earlier, they had formally proposed the installation of 300 to 350 AI-enabled cameras at the Stadium to bolster crowd management and improve fan safety. However, that didn’t guarantee that the franchise would be allowed to return to Chinnaswamy for IPL 2026.
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