A scene at one of the gates of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium after RCB fans tried to force entry during the IPL victory celebrations in Bengaluru on June 4, 2025. | Photo credit: Murali Kumar K
ANDafter much deliberation, the Karnataka Cabinet recently approved a proposal to allow major cricket matches, especially those of the Indian Premier League (IPL), at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. It was outside this venue in the heart of Bengaluru that 11 Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans died in a stampede in June 2025. The team’s victory for the trophy after a 17-year wait led to a fan frenzy that led to tragedy.
After the incident, the state government, which faced criticism for its alleged failure to control the crowd, imposed a blanket ban on all matches at the stadium. It didn’t even allow the Vijay Hazare trophy without spectators. An expert panel, headed by Greater Bengaluru Authority chief M. Maheshwar Rao, found that the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), which runs the stadium, failed to implement security measures recommended by the John Michael Cunha Commission after the stampede.
Also read | Amicus curiae expresses concern over holding IPL matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium without enforcing SOP
But with former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad recently taking over as KSCA chairman, the focus has shifted to reviving cricket at the stadium. The state government has now given conditional approval to host IPL matches this season after the KSCA promised that all security measures would be implemented in a phased manner. With RCB being the defending champions, the opening match of this season is expected to be held here.
The surge also sparked debate about relocating the stadium from the Central Business District. In the central business district, there are four major sports venues — M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore Golf Club, Bangalore Turf Club and Kanteerava Indoor Stadium — all within 2 kilometers of the state legislature. Last week, the government also approved a proposal to shift racing operations from the Bangalore Turf Club to Kunigal on the outskirts of the city.
Also read | Bengaluru Rush: How what was supposed to be a victory celebration ended in tragedy
Discussions focused on the judicious use of public lands and the congestion caused by these sites. In the past eight months, three proposals have been submitted by the Bangalore Development Authority, the Karnataka Housing Board and the Greater Bengaluru Development Authority to build cricket stadiums on the outskirts of the city, although none of the sites are well accessible by public transport. In contrast, as many have pointed out, Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai), Eden Gardens (Kolkata) and MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chennai) are located in the heart of these cities. According to the recent decision of the government, the M. Chinnaswamy stadium is also to remain in the city.
The Cunha Commission recommended that “no large crowd events” be held at the stadium, although it did not clarify whether this included cricket matches. Built in 1969, the stadium has a seating capacity of 33,000 and had not experienced a stampede before the tragedy on 4 June 2025. The episode was caused by an unprecedented situation where a crowd of over 2.5 million people gathered around the stadium to join the ticketless RCB victory celebrations. Adding to the chaos was the Chief Minister’s open-air felicitation of the team on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha and the announcement of the team’s victory parade, which ultimately did not take place.
Also read | Government of Karnataka. grants conditional permission for IPL matches at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
Using the tragedy as a yardstick to ban matches was seen as an insulting response aimed at covering up the government’s own culpability. The remit of the Cunha Commission was also set in such a way that the Commission only looked into what happened at the stadium and did not take a holistic view of the incident. Although the Bengaluru city police were blamed and the city commissioner was suspended in an unprecedented manner, the chief minister’s dismissal of his political secretary for his alleged role in the day’s preparations was an indirect admission of guilt. But now that public anger over the mismanagement that led to the stampede has cooled, the government has allowed the KSCA to resume cricket matches at the stadium as well.
RCB, event managers who were part of the victory celebrations and KSCA have all been booked in a stampede case. The Karnataka High Court, while hearing petitions filed by them against the FIR, restrained the state police from filing chargesheet in the case without its prior permission. No charges have yet been filed. All five police officers suspended for the stampede have been reinstated. As life goes on, cricket continues with another IPL season. However, the families of the 11 who died in the stampede are still waiting for justice.
Published – 23 Feb 2026 0:32 IST
