Chinnaswamy Stadium gets government nod to host IPL and international matches

Following months of uncertainty, the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru will be able to host IPL matches and international games as well going forward.

One of India's most notable grounds had been moth-balled after a stampede that caused the deaths of 11 people in June. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has since been working on ways to prevent such incidents and, on Saturday, it met the home ministry's approval "subject to compliance with specific terms and conditions prescribed by the government and concerned authorities."

While this is a positive development surrounding the venue's future, defending IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru's return to the Chinnaswamy this season is still far from a done deal.

Last week, Rajesh Menon, RCB's COO, held a meeting with the Chhattisgarh chief minister over the possibility of the Shaheed Veer Narayan Stadium in Raipur staging their home matches in 2026. The MCA Stadium in Pune and the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, which has already hosted their matches to packed crowds in three of the four Women's Premier League seasons, are two other venues under consideration.

The KSCA, under new president, Venkatesh Prasad, had been working towards getting the Chinnaswamy ready for play again. They have presented a detailed compliance road map that has been placed before an Expert Review Committee set up by the Karnataka home ministry. The board, in a press release, said they are "fully committed to implementing all safety, security and crowd management measures in letter and spirit."

As things stand, the KSCA has already resolved a long-standing power supply issue with BESCOM - Bengaluru's electricity regulatory authority over fire-safety compliances. They're understood to have also floated tenders to undertake remedial measures, like widening of entry and exit gates around the stadium.

KSCA's primary challenge is to ensure all the new safety precautions are in place within the next few weeks. The IPL is set to begin on March 26, with RCB playing the opening game since they are the defending champions. However, the BCCI is yet to announce the tournament schedule or the venue of the season opener as they are awaiting an official confirmation from RCB.

On Friday, RCB proposed to install 300-350 AI-enabled cameras for better crowd management, committing to bear a one-time cost of INR 4.5 crore.

The Chinnaswamy Stadium hasn't hosted top-flight cricket since a stampede on June 4 marred RCB's title-winning celebrations. Since then, the venue has lost out on hosting matches in the Maharaja T20, the Women's World Cup final as well as matches involving Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant during the Vijay Hazare Trophy.