Bengaluru, 27 March. The 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world’s most popular cricket festival in terms of spice cricket, is ready for its colorful start. Reigning champions Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will meet Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the opening match on Saturday at their home ground i.e. M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh Had a meeting with KSCA officials
Meanwhile, in view of the accident that took place during the victory parade of the RCB team last year, strict security arrangements have been made in and around the Chinnaswamy Stadium. In this sequence, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh chaired a meeting with officials and office bearers of Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) on Friday. During this, security and safety arrangements were reviewed before the inaugural match at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
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Let the festival of cricket begin
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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 27, 2026
A government statement said Shalini Rajneesh was briefed about the security arrangements in and around the stadium, changes made in the city’s traffic system, parking arrangements, drinking water facilities and other necessary steps taken to ensure the safety of cricket fans.
Last year, 11 people died while celebrating RCB’s title win.
It is noteworthy that in June last year, 11 people were killed in a stampede during the celebration of RCB’s first IPL title win. This is the first big match after that incident. Rajneesh was also briefed about the number of passengers in the metro, additional security at metro stations and other safety measures. He instructed the officials to prevent even the smallest incidents from happening.
Click here to see the schedule of matches
The Chief Secretary directed the officials to strictly follow the conditions and precautionary measures decided by the government for organizing the tournament. Apart from this, he directed the concerned officers and institutions to remain fully alert and keep exchanging necessary information among themselves regularly to maintain coordination in security measures.
10 participating teams will play 70 league matches till 24th May
Talking about IPL 2026, a total of 70 league matches will be played between 28 March and 24 May between 10 teams including champion RCB. In the 70th and final league match, the teams of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) will face each other on May 24 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata while the final is proposed on May 31. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had announced on Thursday that the schedule of the playoff matches, including the final, will be announced later.
#TATAIPL Champions over the last 5⃣ years
Who are you backing to lift the title this season?
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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 27, 2026
Demand of angry MLAs of Karnataka accepted, two free tickets and separate stand also
Meanwhile, the Karnataka government, accepting the demand of the MLAs, has announced that they will be given two free tickets for the IPL match to be played at Chinnaswamy Stadium and they will also have a separate stand. Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar made an announcement to this effect.
It is noteworthy that the MLAs had accused the Karnataka State Cricket Association of insulting them and had asked for tickets on the basis of their ‘VIP’ status. Now the government has said that they will also be given a separate stand in the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
D.K. Shivakumar said he had requested the cricket association to give two tickets each to the MLAs, including a free ticket with one ticket, as time was very short. He told, ‘The speaker had asked for four tickets, but by then the tickets were almost sold out. Now time is less and the number of members is more.
Speaking to the media, Deputy CM said, ‘Four tickets cannot be given. Earlier, every MLA, MP and minister used to get one seat each. Now, we have requested them to give two tickets if family members are accompanying. They will get two tickets for the inaugural match. We will talk about the next match later.
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