RCB need to decide on returning to Chinnaswamy stadium for IPL 2026: Venkatesh Prasad

Royal Challengers Bengaluru must now take the final call on whether to return to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for IPL 2026, with Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president Venkatesh Prasad stating that the venue will be fully ready and that the decision now rests entirely with the franchise.

Prasad, who is leading the committee overseeing the stadium’s redevelopment and safety upgrades, said the work done in the last 45 days had restored the confidence of the Karnataka government, state agencies and the BCCI.

“This committee is very confident. In 45 days, what this committee has been able to achieve, I don’t think any other committee would have thought about it or been able to achieve that,” Prasad told ANI. “Based on what we have achieved, the Karnataka government,



the government agencies and the BCCI have all gained huge confidence and faith.”

Emphasising the importance of the venue, the KSCA president said nobody wanted cricket to move away from the iconic stadium. “Nobody wants IPL to go away from Chinnaswamy, nobody wants international matches to go away from Chinnaswamy. It has been an iconic stadium and one of the craziest fans of cricket come here,” he said.

However, Prasad made it clear that the final decision now lies with RCB. “We are yet to hear from RCB about making up their mind and saying that they want to play all their matches here. The ball is now in their court. This ground is going to be completely safe and secure. We are doing everything possible, and we are open for anybody to come and play matches here.”