After the June 4 stampede, in which 11 people lost their lives during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s trophy celebration, M Chinnaswamy Stadium was barred from hosting any marquee matches. The Women’s ODI World Cup final, which Bengaluru was scheduled to host, was also removed from the city.
Multiple discussions have taken place in recent times regarding the future games and whether the stadium will host matches in the IPL 2026. Newly appointed KSCA chief Venkatesh Prasad vowed to bring back matches to Chinnaswamy, but it is not going to be a simple task. Karnataka’s deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on December 10 shared that a cabinet meeting will take place on Thursday to discuss about it and noted that Prasad has been informed about the same.
“We have no intention of stopping cricket matches at (M) Chinnaswamy stadium, but we have to think of crowd control measures. We will also have to incorporate Michael D Cunha committee suggestions in a phased manner. Venkatesh Prasad has also agreed to it. Our government is committed to cricket and cricket fans without denting the reputation of the state,” Shivakumar told the reporters.
“The newly elected President of KSCA and his team met us today seeking the government's cooperation. We will not allow any of the matches including IPL matches to be shifted out of Bengaluru. We will have to work together on this. Our government has also come forward to build new stadiums. I wish Venkatesh Prasad and his team, who are supported by Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble, all the best,” he added.
Prasad also met CM Siddaramaiah
Prasad recently held a meeting with Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar recently held a meeting to discuss the possibilities. The former India international described the meeting to be ‘extremely positive’ and ‘fruitful’.
