Having secured conditional permission from the government to host Indian Premier League (IPL) and international cricket matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president Venkatesh Prasad called on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to play all its IPL 2026 matches at the iconic stadium.

Prasad’s comments come in the wake of speculation that RCB is considering playing its home fixtures outside Karnataka.

“It is my sincere wish that RCB plays all its IPL 2026 matches right here at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The ball is in RCB’s court now,” Prasad said in a press conference at the KSCA headquarters on Wednesday.

Prasad noted that the KSCA has worked “day and night” to ensure that the State government is convinced that the association will provide a safe experience for fans on match day.

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has been barred from hosting top-quality cricket since the deadly stampede that occurred during RCB’s title winning celebrations last year.

The KSCA is keen to implement all safety recommendations listed in the government-appointed Michael D’Cunha Commission, and all necessary work at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in this regard will be completed by the end of February, Prasad said.

“We hope that RCB also gets involved and engages with the government for the smooth conduct of the matches. So far, it has been one-sided. The responsibility is now on RCB to have meaningful dialogue with the government. We have done everything from our side,” Prasad said.

“It is RCB’s responsibility to come back here and play, and not take the game away from Bengaluru. They have grown to this level because they have played in Bengaluru; because of the Bengaluru crowd,” Prasad.

Prasad added that the IPL Governing Council, in a recent meeting, had also impressed upon RCB to compete at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

In a statement, RCB appreciated the KSCA for undertaking the “ongoing infrastructure work that has led to this conditional approval to host matches”, but noted that there still a few grey areas that need to be addressed before the franchise makes a decision on playing at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

“From our preliminary conversations, there are still a few grey areas that need to be looked into, and we are considering these parameters and inputs from all stakeholders before arriving at a responsible decision for the team and our fans,” RCB stated.

Published on Jan 21, 2026