In a major development for Karnataka cricket and Royal Challengers Bangalore fans, the Karnataka Cabinet has given conditional approval to Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to host IPL 2026 matches. The decision comes after months of uncertainty following the tragic stampede incident on June 4 during RCB's victory celebrations, which resulted in 11 deaths and several injuries. Meanwhile, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) matches can resume only after the stadiums complete all the mandatory security upgrades.
The iconic Chinnaswamy Stadium was earlier declared fundamentally unsafe by the Justice D'Cunha (Cunha) Commission, which led to the stampede and identified serious flaws in design, crowd movement, emergency planning and traffic control. Following the incident, the stadium lost Women's World Cup fixtures, and was dropped from India's host venues for the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup. After this, there were concerns about Bengaluru losing IPL games as well.
The Karnataka Cabinet approved the return of cricket to stadiums, but only after the Home Department verified that all the safety and structural recommendations in the Cunha Commission report have been fully implemented. This included increasing the number of entry and exit points, creating dedicated queuing and crowd-flow areas separate from public roads. Additionally, it said, implement internationally tailored emergency evacuation systems, improve traffic management and parking infrastructure. The Cabinet stressed that matches will resume only after full compliance with these standards.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar revealed that the IPL matches will not be shifted out of Bengaluru and called hosting the matches a matter of pride for Karnataka. He said the government is committed to ensuring crowd safety and also to ensure that the city does not lose out on major sporting events. Shivakumar also confirmed that the state plans to eventually build a new, modern cricket stadium, although Chinnaswamy will remain the top venue in the immediate future.
This is a victory for the game of cricket: Venkatesh Prasad
Meanwhile, newly elected KSCA president Venkatesh Prasad and his team met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to press for the resumption of top-level cricket. Prasad confirmed that KSCA has also held discussions with senior BCCI officials to ensure that Karnataka does not lose in major fixtures.
“First and foremost, it's a victory for the game of cricket. Secondly, it's a victory for all the members who wanted change, a victory for all the people who wanted international cricket back at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium,” Prasad was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Since the June tragedy, the Chinnaswamy Stadium has not hosted any major matches. Women's World Cup games, including the final, were shifted to Navi Mumbai. Domestic matches like Duleep Trophy and India A were shifted to alternate BCCI venues.
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