Chinnaswamy will host IPL and International Cricket, Karnataka government gives approval with conditions
Bengaluru. The Karnataka Government has expressed satisfaction over the progress taken by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) as per the compliance roadmap set out to make the M Chinnaswamy Stadium more safe and spectator-friendly.
On Thursday, the state Cabinet gave its nod to KSCA for the resumption of international cricket as well as hosting of IPL matches. The decision was taken after extensive meetings with KSCA president Venkatesh Prasad and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) officials, including CEO Rajesh Menon.
Prasad said most of the infrastructure works, which were started soon after he took charge in January, are in the final stages and KSCA is confident that the ground will be completely ready by the end of February.
After the meeting, Prasad said, “The BCCI wants us to hold the opening match of the IPL at Chinnaswamy. I thank the state government and the Home Ministry for the support we have received towards bringing back cricket. We are confident that the infrastructure work will be completed on time.”
The 17 safety measures suggested by the Justice John D’Cunha committee following the tragic stampede during the RCB victory procession on June 4 last year in which 11 people died, have been divided into short-term and long-term needs.
The Home Ministry has set March 15 as the deadline for all short-term compliance measures. These include wide gates, clear access routes into the stadium for emergency services like ambulances, multiple concourses inside for spectators to gather, and construction of ramps for easy access for the disabled.
ESPN Cricinfo has learned that RCB’s concerns regarding security, which include the organizers being responsible for any untoward incident in and around the stadium, have been noted by the state government.
The Home Ministry will issue a detailed order outlining the preparations and conditions to be fulfilled by the KSCA. This development comes at a time when RCB has been asked to explore options other than Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium as one of its home grounds for IPL 2026.
Last month, RCB officials had met the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh on the possibility of holding two home matches in Raipur. IPL is scheduled to start from March 26, but due to lack of clarity regarding the situation regarding Chinnaswamy, BCCI has not been able to release the schedule and fixtures yet. This impasse may end soon as it is now up to the franchise to decide whether the team will return to their home ground or not and all indications are that they will. An official announcement from the franchise is expected soon.
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