Despite the official schedule for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 being out, a formal approval regarding the go-ahead to host matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, is currently awaited. A committee of experts will be meeting shortly to assess the conditions at the venue and decide whether the stadium is ready to host high-scale cricket matches once again.
For the unversed, Chinnaswamy has been in the news for all the infamous reasons, following the stampede incident that unfolded here on June 04, 2025, during the RCB’s victory parade celebrations here. The stampede took the lives of eleven innocent fans, who had gathered to watch their favourite team immerse themselves in a joyous parade with lakhs of fans.
“The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka. The committee will conduct a meeting and inspection of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 13, 2026, during which a full-scale mock demonstration of match-day arrangements will be carried out to assess the stadium’s preparedness for hosting IPL matches,” the organisers said on Wednesday, March 11.
Thus far, the schedule for only 20 matches of the 2026 season has been announced, keeping in mind the upcoming elections across several Indian states, which will not allow hosting games in cities like Chennai and Kolkata. The tournament is set to get underway on Saturday, March 28, at Chinnaswamy (subject to clearance, obviously) in a game between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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