After much deliberations over cricket matches to be played at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here, the Karnataka government on Thursday agreed to allow the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches at the stadium with certain conditions.
Ending speculation about the home ground of the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) hosting matches, the government cleared the way for the matches even as it will spell out conditions over the next couple of days.
It is speculated that spectators to be allowed against the capacity of the stadium could be brought down to have better crowd management and apply safety conditions.
Inaugural match?
As per convention, the defending champions will host the inaugural match of the IPL season as well as Qualifier 2 and finals. With decks cleared, it is expected that RCB, the reigning champions, will start off the IPL 2026 in Bengaluru. Incidentally, Bengaluru was host to the 2016 IPL final — before the convention was adopted — but lost the match to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
