Cricket's return to Chinnaswamy Stadium to be discussed thoroughly in Karnataka parliament

Newly-elected Karnataka State Cricket Association President Venkatesh Prasad has already made strides to use his influence in bringing top-tier cricket back to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The famous cricketing landmark in the city of Bengaluru has been banned from hosting any international or IPL games after the horrific stampede event on June 4 this year, which took the lives of 11 civilians.

Prasad, on Wednesday, December 10, met the Karnataka state chief minister Siddaramaiah and the deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar for a discussion on how the state government and local authorities can help revive cricketing action at Chinnaswamy. Prasad further conveyed the duo's assurance of discussing the matter in the state's cabinet meeting in the parliament.

"Chinnaswamy Stadium has not hosted marquee matches since a stampede outside the stadium that claimed 11 lives during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory celebrations. We have convinced the CM and DCM that the KSCA had no involvement whatsoever in the incident. We have urged them to allow the KSCA to host international matches. The CM and his deputy have responded positively,” Prasad was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald.

Meanwhile, DK Shivakumar assured the media and reiterated his assurance to the KSCA, that the state government will make united efforts to make sure that RCB do not have to play elsewhere. Chinnaswamy, which lost its 2025 Women's World Cup games and wasn't considered for staging the 2026 T20 World Cup, will soon make a comeback to host international events as well, Shivakumar promised.

“We have no intention of stopping the matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium. We will not disappoint the cricket fans. There is a need to initiate crowd control measures. Also, we have to incorporate the recommendations of the Michael D’Cunha committee in a phased manner. Even the KSCA president [Prasad] has agreed to it,” Shivakumar said.

“We will not let any matches, including the IPL ties, be shifted out of Bengaluru. I have urged Prasad to put up united efforts to bring back the international matches to Bengaluru. The Congress government is committed to developing cricketing infrastructure, including building new stadiums,” the deputy CM added.

The IPL 2026 will be commencing from March 2026, meaning that the KSCA and the state government have around at least three months to make necessary preparations to bring back the lost glory to Bengaluru's historic cricketing destination. If stars do not align, RCB have already discussed with the Maharashtra Cricket Association, using Pune as their home ground for the upcoming season.