The Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council is expected to meet next week to decide whether Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be able to play its home games at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium this season.
Despite the Karnataka State government clearing the decks for the venue to host IPL and international matches, some ‘grey areas’ remain, with the franchise required to fulfil a few criteria before the ball can get rolling.
With not much time left, the franchise has already begun exploring contingency plans, with Raipur and Navi Mumbai emerging as possible alternatives. The Board, meanwhile, has requested the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to follow up on the matter with the State government.
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“We had a recent meeting in which we could not finalise whether RCB will be playing in Bengaluru or not,” Devajit Saikia, the BCCI secretary, told Sports stars.
“During the meeting, we were informed that the association has produced one document, which says that the government has set some conditions which should be fulfilled. There will be an inspection after that, and once it is given the green signal then only the crowd manifest can be made,” Saikia said
“There are certain gray areas. So we have requested them to come up with a complete proposition. Maybe in the next three to four days, we are having another meeting to decide whether the Chinnaswamy Stadium will be ready for hosting the IPL or not…”
According to the guidelines issued by the government, RCB needs to take ‘responsibility not only for stadium-related arrangements but also for the road outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium, along with additional compliance measures.’ These also include restrictions on DJ usage and provisions for setting up a fire brigade unit.
Earlier this week, KSCA president Venkatesh Prasad told the media that the government’s nod reflected confidence in the association’s roadmap and execution plan. Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, Prasad said that the KSCA was now working towards securing an unconditional clearance by the end of February, after completing all the remaining works mandated by the authorities.
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However, without specifying details, Prasad also admitted that RCB was still hesitant about certain areas, and urged the franchise to engage in dialogue with the State government.
Last year, 11 people died and 56 were injured in a stampede during celebrations of RCB’s IPL victory. Since then, the Chinnaswamy Stadium has not hosted any international fixtures, and matches from the Women’s ODI World Cup had to be shifted out.
Published on Jan 24, 2026
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