The Indian fast bowler, Venkatesh Prasad, and another former player, Shanta Rangaswamy, launched their election for the Karnataka State Cricket Association along with their former treasurer, Vinay Mrutyunjaya. Prasad promised to bring back the vital games at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium after the stampede case of the IPL post Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s victory.

Nearly two lakh fans gathered at 5 in the afternoon during the felicitation ceremony, which caused the crowd to rush, leading to 11 people dying and several getting injured. The ground has lost many international games, along with the Maharaj T20 trophy. They are also expected to lose the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 in late autumn.

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“We would like to bring back international cricket. Every international match has been moved out of Bangalore. It's such an iconic venue, Chinnaswamy Stadium, which has been standing for the last 50 years. This is something which has never happened. Even our own Maharaja Cup has also been moved out, which is not a good thing.” Prasad expressed, as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Venkatesh Prasad to bring high-profile games at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium if gets KSCA power

Post the backdrops of several safety failures, the future of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is under the clouds. Amidst all the safety measures, Prasad promised to convert the ground into a future-ready smart stadium with a digital ticketing system, fan experience, and better crowd management technology.

“We need to work on that. Because, as I said earlier, this was built in 1974 for the first Test match. I'm sure we cannot take it to 80,000 and so on. So, probably another 15,000 more, maybe up to 50,000, and now it's 34,000-35,000. One of the preconditions whenever the BCCI allots matches is that they give us a deadline to get the state government permission.” The former pacer informed.

Prasad also informed that they would want to build a cricket museum like Lord’s and make the stadium a tourist destination, which would generate revenue while preserving the rich history of the game. The KSCA is set to go to the polls later this year, with the elections likely to take place in October. 

Bengaluru is officially off the venue list for the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, with Thiruvananthapuram’s Greenfield International Stadium poised to take its place. The tournament, scheduled from September 30 to November 2, will see the Kerala capital host matches that were originally allotted to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Safety concerns after the June stampede force Bengaluru out of the Women’s ODI World Cup

The change comes after the Karnataka government declined to grant permission for hosting games in Bengaluru due to safety concerns following the tragic June 4 stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations. The incident, which claimed 11 lives and left over 50 injured, led to a government-appointed inquiry that found the Chinnaswamy Stadium “unsuitable and unsafe” for mass gatherings.

The Justice John Michael D’Cunha Commission’s report cited flaws in the stadium’s design and structure, warning that high-attendance events posed “unacceptable risks” to public safety, traffic management, and emergency preparedness. The findings have already forced the KSCA to shift the domestic Maharaja T20 Trophy and Maharani T20 matches to Mysuru and Alur, respectively.

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Bengaluru had been slated to host five matches, including the high-profile tournament opener between India and Sri Lanka on September 30, as well as one semi-final and potentially the final on November 2. England vs South Africa (October 3) and India vs Bangladesh (October 26) were among other key fixtures scheduled in the city, alongside two warm-up games.

Thiruvananthapuram joins host cities as the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup heads to the sub-continent

With the venue change, the ICC is expected to release an updated schedule soon. Sources indicate that Thiruvananthapuram was favoured over Hyderabad due to favourable weather conditions in late September and its proximity to Colombo, another tournament venue.

While the Greenfield Stadium has yet to host women’s international cricket, it boasts experience from staging four men’s T20Is, two ODIs, youth internationals, and serving as a warm-up venue for the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup. However, rain washed out the men’s warm-up matches in that tournament.

The 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup will be played in a round-robin format among eight teams - Australia (defending champions), Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka, with matches spread across Visakhapatnam, Indore, Guwahati, Colombo, and now Thiruvananthapuram.

This edition will also mark the first women’s global cricket event in the sub-continent since the 2016 Women’s T20 World Cup and the first Women’s ODI World Cup in India since 2013.

The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has failed to get clearance from the Bengaluru police, as they have missed that they won’t be able to host the franchise-based T20 competition, the Maharaja T20, which was going to be staged from August 11 to 27 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The games will now move to Mysuru, as all the sides’ owners have been notified of the change.

Most franchises, including the Mysuru Warriors, had been training at various venues across the city over the past week. The failure to get the permission to host their domestic T20 event is a huge blow to the KSCA, which is also stated to host five matches of the upcoming Women’s World Cup 2025 this autumn, including the tournament opener and one semifinal, starting September 30. Now, there are concerns if the ground could host the IPL games in the future. 

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The association has been under scrutiny after 11 people died and over 50 were injured during the celebration of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru winning their maiden season of the league without permission on June 04, as the authorities have put the moral responsibility tag on the board.

Maharaja T20 tournament moves from Bengaluru to Mysuru

The Maharaja T20 is going to feature several high-profile Karnataka stars, including Karun Nair and Prasidh Krishna, who will be part of the Warriors after their return home post the five-match drawn Test series in England. The former is expected to be out of the first few games after picking up a finger injury during the second innings of the South London Test.

Earlier, the event was expected to be held behind closed doors in Bengaluru, but now the focus for KSCA is to make a smooth progression of the competition in Mysuru, where they will face various challengers, including the temporary broadcast facilities, seating arrangement, pitches, squares, and floodlights at the Wadeyar Stadium.

Some of the other notable players to feature in the T20 tournament will be Manish Pandey, Mayank Agarwal, and Devdutt Paddikal, while some of the young players will be R Smaran, Vijaykumar Vyshak, KV Aneesh, and Nikin Jose. Meanwhile, the women’s Maharani T20 competition will be played in Alur from August 04.

The iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, home of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), is expected to lose its hosting rights for the upcoming domestic franchise T20 competition. The Bengaluru police have yet to give clearance to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to host the Maharaja T20, which is scheduled to begin in August and run for two weeks. 

The non-clearance of the police authority has come after the ongoing investigation of the stampede around the ground in the premises for the celebration of the RCB lifting their maiden title in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, when they got the better of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. An investigation has given the results of 11 deaths and over 50 injuries.

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The KSCA announced that Maharaj T20 would be played behind closed doors. But now they are looking for some different option, including their facility in Alur on the outskirts of Bengaluru, as well as the Mysuru ground. Alur’s drainage is excellent, but the issue will be around the infrastructure and the floodlights, which will be a huge issue for the broadcasters.

M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to lose hosting of Maharaja T20 League 2025

Alur is going to host the group games of the six-day women’s T20 event- the Maharani T20- from August 04. That will give the organizers a clear view of what will be the next process. KSCA has started discussions around the late venue switch, but the franchises have shown their concern for the financial losses they now face, having already gone through the hotel bookings for the players and staff in Bengaluru.

The police clearance issue puts the state association in a tough spot as the ground is also the venue for the opening fixture of the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025, alongside the semi-final and final, if Pakistan doesn’t qualify for the contest. It will also host a couple of warm-up games ahead of the event.

India’s domestic season-opening Duleep Trophy will be played at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. They cancelled the final at the ground to give the preparation chance to the women’s side for the World Cup in the late autumn.

In a stunning development that could reshape their title defense, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to play the IPL 2026 season away from their iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Following a tragic stampede that claimed 11 lives and injured over 70 outside the venue on June 4, just a day after RCB’s historic IPL 2025 win, the Karnataka government has declared the stadium unfit for hosting major events, including high-profile cricket matches.

The incident occurred during a victory celebration parade that drew an estimated 300,000 fans, nearly ten times the stadium’s 35,000 capacity. Mismanagement of security and lack of crowd control were cited in a judicial commission’s scathing report, which held RCB, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), and event organizers DNA Entertainment Networks responsible for the chaos. Shockingly, all 79 police officers deployed for the event were stationed inside the stadium, with none outside to manage the massive crowd.

The Karnataka cabinet has approved legal action against key individuals from RCB, KSCA, and the event agency. While the state government initially appeared to blame the IPL franchise, it has since acknowledged failures on the part of senior police officials as well, including the suspension of Bengaluru’s police commissioner and other top officers. The official report, led by retired Justice John Michael D’Cunha, found the organizers operated without necessary permissions, failed to regulate entries, and ignored critical safety measures.

ALSO SEE: IPL to ban RCB? Stampede to put IPL 2025 winners in massive trouble

RCB set to play IPL 2026 away from Chinnaswamy after stampede tragedy forces stadium ban

As a consequence, RCB will lose the home-ground advantage at Chinnaswamy, a venue renowned for its electric atmosphere and die-hard fan base. The franchise will be assigned a new home stadium for the 2026 edition, though the BCCI has yet to confirm the replacement venue.

RCB had just finished their long wait for a title with Rajat Patidar's January coming out party as they defeated Punjab Kings at the 2025 IPL final in Ahmedabad, but the elations turned into a tragedy, and we are now dealing with the ramifications of it before what should be an eventful season.

The event has also sparked political blame games, where the opposition BJP is blaming the Congress-led Karnataka government for endorsing the event without any real enforcement of safety norms. The Karnataka Government ,meanwhile, pledges to restructure those safety norms before allowing a large, public events at the stadium. And with court processes continuing, with no solid timeline in which Chinnaswamy will become a cricket venue again, it is a difficult transition year for RCB away from home as defending champions, under significant public scrutiny.

Since winning their maiden season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2025, it has not been a smooth progress for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who may not be ruled out from hosting the high-attendance games at their home base, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The government has decided to act on Justice Michael Cunha's Commission report. It concluded that the stadium’s design and structure were unsuitable and unsafe for mass gatherings. 

The commission has been tasked to investigate the tragic stampede that happened on June 04 outside the ground and resulted in the deaths of 11 people. It took place on the Bengaluru roads around the venue when the franchise was going through the victory parade to celebrate their triumph at the IPL 2025.

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‘Any future venue should adhere to international standards. Until such infrastructural changes are made, continuing to host high-attendance events at the current location poses unacceptable risks to public safety, urban mobility, and emergency preparedness.’ The panel said, as reported by Deccan Herald.

RCB to be banned from hosting IPL games at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium

The report highlighted several critical shortcomings, including the lack of circulation zones and properly-built queues to separate the public role. There is not a sufficient number of gates for the large number of people to enter and exit, inadequate integration with transport and the tourist hubs, and the absence of emergency plans with international safety in question.

Since 1974, the 32000-capacity premises have been processed and managed by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). The stadium spans 16 acres and 32 gnats of land by the Public Works Department (PWD), which leased the property to the KSCA for 99 years since its beginning in 1969. The venue will now host the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 competition from August 11 to 28.

‘The design and structure of the stadium were unsuitable and unsafe for mass gathering [sic]. All the entry and exit gates opened directly into the footpath. Spacious and organized holding area for crowd was not provided at the entry, as a result, the audience was forced to queue up on the footpath or road (obstructing) and endangering pedestrians and vehicular movement as well as giving scope for miscreants to join the crowd, aggravating the risk, especially in the absence of proper security.’ The report claimed.

In the wake of the devastating stampede at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL 2025 win celebrations, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has issued a big move. The tragic incident, which left 11 dead and some others injured, occurred as thousands of people had come to celebrate RCB's first IPL title. Following public outcry and grief, the issue was addressed by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, who promised preventive measures against such incidents in the future.

Talking to News18, Saikia explained, "Whatever has happened is very unfortunate. But we don't want to play the guilty game now." He explained that the official jurisdiction of the BCCI over the IPL is till the award presentation ceremony, and after that, franchises usually arrange their own celebrations. But due to the scale of the tragedy, Saikia announced that the board will now be implementing advisories to prevent such incidents in the future.

He went on to say, "From now on we will attempt to impose at least some advisory so that such incidents do not occur." This is a significant change in BCCI's policy on post-tournament activities, reflecting the board's readiness to intervene with instructions, even when not otherwise responsible, to guarantee the safety of participants and spectators during celebration of wins. 

BCCI Acts with Safety Regulations After Stampede Disaster

The stampede, which happened in the backdrop of congestion and lack of management during RCB's jubilant event, has initiated a national debate on the necessity for enhanced safety measures at large-scale cricket tournaments. With urban areas increasingly seeing huge turnouts at such events, experts have identified the need for better coordination between franchises, local administrations, and governing boards as a pressing priority.

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BCCI's forthcoming advisories are expected to outline crowd control measures, security protocols, and logistical planning recommendations. Although the board has kept away from making a direct accusation, its move is an attempt to be proactive about not repeating such a tragic event in the future. The decision has been received by many as a good step in the direction of fan safety and the uprightness of the sport.

The horrific stampede outside M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4 has now resulted in major legal proceedings. Bengaluru police have arrested Nikhil Sosale, marketing and revenue head for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Diageo India. Sosale was arrested at Bengaluru airport while allegedly trying to board a flight to Mumbai. The arrest is a part of the ongoing probe into the tragic crowd crush that killed 11 people and left 64 others injured while they were celebrating RCB's IPL 2025 victory.

Besides Sosale's arrest, three employees of DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd.—namely Kiran, Sumanth, and Sunil Mathew—have also been arrested. The organization had been in charge of hosting the victory party at the stadium. The three people were summoned to Cubbon Park Police Station for questioning, where the FIR is filed. The FIR identifies RCB, DNA Entertainment, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) as accused in the case.

At the same time, the KSCA secretary and treasurer are said to be absconding. Police visits to their homes have been uneventful. This comes after the Karnataka government has faced unprecedented backlash for the way it handled the event, where allegations of mismanagement and a lack of care have ramped up. Several senior police officers, including Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B. Dayananda, have been suspended by the state government for lapses in security.

Political Fallout and Public Outrage

The stampede has now become a political controversy, with the opposition BJP calling for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar to resign. Eyewitnesses and reports have indicated that Shivakumar went on enjoying the celebration and posing for photos with the RCB players within the stadium despite news of the stampede breaking through.

🚨 BREAKING: Nikhil Sosale, RCB Marketing head has bedd arrested at the airport. pic.twitter.com/AJzP1p6I1P

— Tata IPL 2025 Commentary (@IPL2025Auction) June 6, 2025

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Public anger has continued to build, particularly at the seeming indifference of organizers and officials. As arrests are now progressing and main characters are being tagged as accused, the spotlight is still on ensuring accountability and justice for the victims and their kin.

The first IPL trophy celebration after an 18-year-long wait for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has gone horribly wrong after a stampede outside the home stadium that took away 11 lives, along with almost 50 injured victims. RCB and the co-organisers of the event have been booked under multiple sections.

Last Tuesday night (June 3), Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their first-ever IPL trophy after beating Punjab Kings in the Final of the IPL 2025 by six runs at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. On the very next day, RCB organised a victory parade and public felicitation ceremony at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where the completed RCB team members were present to celebrate.  

Deadly stampede at outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium

Before the felicitation event at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, there was a stampede situation outside the stadium. That horrible incident resulted in 11 unfortunate deaths and almost 50 more reported injuries, some of which were serious. Despite the stampede incident, the felicitation event continued. 

In the initial report, the overcrowded situation outside the stadium was the main reason, while there wasn't enough security to handle the unexpected large gathering outside the stadium. The stadium has a 35000-seating capacity, and the crowd was more than two lakhs outside the venue.  

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FIR has been filed against RCB and co-organisers

The Cubbon Park Police in Bengaluru have charged the IPL 2025 champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), event management company DNA, and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Some of these charges are as follows:

• BNS Section 105: Culpable homicide not amounting to murder
• BNS Section 115: Voluntarily to cause hurt
• BNS Section 118: Voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means
• BNS Section 125: Act endangering life or personal safety of others
• BNS Section 132: Assault or criminal drone to deter public servant from discharge of their duty
• BNS Section 190: Unlawful assembly

According to the ESPNcricinfo report, RCB are at the first of the accusation list of the FIR. Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered the suspension of the Inspector of the Cubbon Park police station. The CM further ordered the arrest of the representatives of each of the parties listed in the FIR.

In the meantime, CM added that his government handed over the enquiry to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) and planned to appoint a commission to probe the tragedy.