Chinnaswamy Stampede Saga: What was that horrifying scene? Know the whole story from the stampede of June 2025 to the return of IPL 2026.

News India Live, Digital Desk: Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which once echoed with slogans of ‘RCB-RCB’, was in a deep silence for the last 8 months. A tragic stampede in June 2025 had put this historic ground under controversy and investigation. Now the Karnataka government has approved the return of IPL 2026 here with some strict conditions. See the detailed timeline of this entire incident here: 1. June 4, 2025: ‘Black night’ and mourning of victory. After winning the IPL 2025 title, when the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team reached Chinnaswamy Stadium for its ‘Victory Parade’, thousands of fans gathered. Accident: Due to huge crowd and mismanagement outside the stadium, a stampede broke out. Result: 11 people died in this tragic incident and More than 30 people were seriously injured. The government immediately banned all sporting events at the stadium.2. July – November 2025: Investigation and labeling of ‘unsafe’After the accident, the Karnataka government constituted an inquiry committee headed by retired Justice John Michael Cunha. Cunha Report: The report strongly criticized the design of the stadium, outdated crowd control methods and poor traffic management. Disadvantages: Bengaluru lost the hosting of the ‘Women’s World Cup 2026’ matches due to security reasons and It was also kept out of the venue of T20 World Cup 2026.3. January 2026: RCB’s restlessness and ‘Pune’ planSince Chinnaswamy was banned, RCB management started looking for an alternative home ground. Options: Discussions were intense that RCB can shift its home matches to Pune’s MCA Stadium or Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium.4. 12-13 February 2026: Cabinet approves ‘conditions’ After a long wait and assurance of security improvements by the KSCA (Karnataka State Cricket Association), the Karnataka Cabinet finally took the big decision. 35,000 limit: Now the number of spectators in the stadium will be limited to a maximum of 35,000 (so that crowd control is easier). AI cameras mesh: RCB proposes to install 300-350 AI-enabled cameras for security. Which will do real-time tracking of the crowd. Gates will be wide: Orders have been given to widen the entry and exit gates of the stadium by at least 6 feet.5. March 2026: ‘The title will be defended at home’ After the green signal from the Cabinet, it is now certain that Chinnaswamy Stadium will host the season opener of IPL starting from March 26, 2026. As defending champions, RCB will play its first match in front of its home crowd.