The Karnataka government on Thursday agreed to allow the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches to be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

However, the matches will need to take place with certain conditions.

“In the interest of the sport and its fans, the Cabinet today has taken an important decision to permit the conduct of IPL matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium, while keeping public safety paramount,” Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced on X on Thursday.

“The recommendations of the Justice John Michael D’Cunha Report will be implemented, with strict adherence to norms on ticketing, crowd regulation, and stadium access. With responsibility and accountability, we move forward.”

The clearance ended speculation about the home ground of the defending champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), with the government spelling out the conditions for granting its permission over the next couple of days.

As per convention, the defending champion will host the inaugural match of the IPL, and also holds the right to stage Qualifier 2 and the final.

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.

The State government had banned cricket matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium after 11 people died in a stampede as the crowd surged into the venue on June 4 when Royal Challengers Bengaluru was celebrating its maiden IPL victory inside the stadium.

Following the fiasco, sporting activity with spectators was prohibited until safety measures were put in place.

Published on Feb 13, 2026