Karnataka clears IPL return to Chinnaswamy stadium with strict safety conditions

The Karnataka cabinet has granted approval for the resumption of Indian Premier League matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, months after cricketing activities were suspended following a tragic stampede that claimed 11 lives during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL title celebrations last June.

The decision comes after the submission of the Justice Cunha report, which outlined a series of immediate, medium-term and long-term recommendations aimed at ensuring spectator safety at the venue. State ministers said the approval was conditional and based on compliance with those guidelines.

Karnataka Minister Ramalinga Reddy confirmed the development on Thursday. “The cabinet agreed with certain conditions as per the Cunha report. He mentioned in the report a maximum of 35,000 people and other conditions. Accordingly, we have made the decision,” Reddy said, referring to the cap on crowd capacity and other prescribed measures.

Earlier in the day, Home Minister Dr G Parameshwar chaired a high-level meeting at Vidhana Soudha with Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president Venkatesh Prasad, the KSCA secretary and senior government and police officials to discuss the organisation of matches at the venue.

Detailing the cabinet’s decision, Dr Parameshwar said: “Today evening, the Cabinet has taken a decision to permit KSCA and RCB to conduct the IPL matches in Bengaluru.”

He added that while not all recommendations had been fully implemented, significant progress had been made. “There are three categories of recommendations. One is what we should immediately do. The second one was a medium-term category, like gates, parking lots, the health department, ambulances and these kinds of things. The long-term one was infrastructure. For all these, on a timeline, they have given us a commitment, and the government



has accepted those commitments and given them in-principle permission to conduct IPL matches.”

The Home Minister also said a committee headed by the GBA Chief Commissioner had been constituted, along with the Police Commissioner and representatives from the Health, PWD and Fire departments. “All those people have certified that matches can be conducted safely. So these are the steps we have taken,” he said.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar emphasised that safety compliance would be non-negotiable. “In the interest of youngsters and the cricketing world, the Karnataka government has permitted all future matches to be held in Bengaluru,” he said.

“It will have to be prevented; they should not sell more tickets than the exact seating availability. They have to implement whatever has been recommended in the report, including providing ambulances, making bigger gates and sub-conditions. We have permitted it.”

Calling it “great news for all cricket lovers,” Shivakumar added, “I am sorry for the pain. We missed a great match, but next time we should be very conscious.”

The high-level meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary Tushar Girinath, State DGP M A Salim, GBA Commissioner Maheshwar Rao, Home Department Secretary KV Sarathchandra, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, KSCA president Venkatesh Prasad and office bearers of Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

After the meeting, Prasad described the outcome as “extremely positive” and thanked the Home Minister for forming the committee, saying the association had been awaiting the cabinet’s decision.

With a strict 35,000-capacity cap and multi-departmental oversight now in place, cricket is set to return to the Chinnaswamy Stadium under heightened scrutiny and reinforced safety protocols.