Chinnaswamy Stadium - (Source: AFP)On Monday, February 9, a key development took place surrounding the future of Chinnaswamy Stadium. Notably, the Karnataka Government has scheduled a meeting for Wednesday to take the final decision on whether RCB should play their games at the iconic venue for IPL 2026.For the unversed, RCB ended their IPL title hunt in 2025 when they beat Punjab Kings in the final on June 3. However, the celebrations were cut short because a major stampede occurred on June 4 outside Chinnaswamy Stadium.11 people lost their lives in the unfortunate incident, following which the state government decided to ban Chinnaswamy Stadium from hosting matches. Notably, the iconic venue in Karnataka didn’t host any domestic fixtures and the Women’s ODI World Cup games were also pushed out of Bengaluru. Karnataka Home Minister to hold meeting on WednesdayIn the past few months, several attempts have been made by KSCA to convince the government to allow matches in Chinnaswamy Stadium. Meanwhile, in the latest events, the Karnataka government's home minister has clarified that a meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 11, where the decision will be finalised. Officials from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), Bengaluru city police, and the Law Department will meet to discuss what can be done at the government level and the directions to be issued to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), the custodians of Chinnaswamy Stadium. We will discuss and take a final call. We will have to consult the chief minister also,” he said.Notably, the development occurred after KSCA head Venkatesh Prasad and RCB met Parameshwara and sought permission to host matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium. “IPL is approaching. Also, international matches are scheduled… Only if the state government issues clearance will the ground be included (to host matches),” the minister said.KSCA ensure safety at Chinnaswamy StadiumOne of the primary reasons why the government didn’t give clearance was safety reasons. The State association has ensured that they have installed AI enabled cameras to ensure that they don’t have another stampede-like situation.In a formal communication to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), RCB have proposed the installation of 300 to 350 AI-enabled cameras across the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The franchise has also agreed to shoulder the entire one-time cost of the event, which is approximately ₹4.5 crores.Meanwhile, the Karnataka home minister has also spoke on the same lines, that safety remains a top-priority.“The whole of Bengaluru wants to be part of such tournaments, but safety measures are also important to prevent a repeat of the stampede that claimed 11 lives,” Parameshwara said.Also, in case the government do not allow KSCA to host IPL 2026 matches at Chinnaswamy stadium, then there are reports that the RCB will host their home matches at the Raipur Stadium in Chhattisgarh or MCA Stadium in Pune.Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals are also looking for a new venue and could be fighting with RCB for a venue in case the defending champions get a negative update from their state government.
