Chinnaswamy Stadium gets final nod to host international and IPL games

On Thursday, February 12, the Karnataka state government gave a green signal to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) for the resumption of international cricket as well as the IPL games following multiple meetings with the KSCA President Venkatesh Prasad and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) officials. 

Advertisment

Notably, the Karnataka state cabinet has expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the KSCA in making the Chinnaswamy Stadium safer and more spectator-friendly after last year’s tragic stampede incident.

Venkatesh Prasad, while speaking to the media, has stated that a majority of the work undertaken in January 2026 since he took the position is in the final stages, and he is confident of making the stadium ready by the end of February.

"The BCCI is keen for us to host the IPL opening at Chinnaswamy. [I have] got to thank the state government and home ministry for their support along the way towards helping us bring cricket back. We're confident of completing the infrastructure work on time,” Prasad said after a meeting with state government officials.

For the unversed, this news came right after the RCB franchise was informed to look for alternate venues outside the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai as one of their home venues for the IPL 2026 season.

Moreover, in January 2026, RCB officials met the Chhattisgarh CM over the possibility of hosting two home games in Raipur. Notably, the IPL 2026 schedule is yet to come out from the BCCI because of the lack of clarity on the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad for IPL 2026

Retained players

Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Abhinandan Singh, and Suyash Sharma.

Advertisment

Players bought

Venkatesh Iyer (7 cr), Mangesh Yadav (5.2 cr), Jacob Duffy (2 cr), Satwik Deswal (30 L), Jordan Cox (75 L), Vihaan Malhotra (30 L), Kanishk Chouhan (30 L), Vicky Ostwal (30 L).

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky247 India and download the Sky247 app to start betting today!