BENGALURU: Cricket is finally set to return to M Chinnaswamy Stadium with IPL matches.The state cabinet Thursday approved resumption of matches, following a recommendation from the govt-appointed expert committee headed by Maheshwar Rao, the chief of Greater Bengaluru Authority.Govt approval comes after aconditional nod from the home department on Jan 17.“Keeping in mind the D’Cunha Committee report and the recommendations of the expert committee, the home department will issue a detailed order outlining the conditions that KSCA must meet,” law minister H K Patil said after the cabinet meeting.Govt greenlight now pavesthe way for defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to host their Indian Premier League (IPL) matches at the city venue.State govt had earlier barred Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) from staging matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium after 11 fanslost their lives in a stampede outside the venue on June 4, 2025, during RCB’s IPL victory celebrations.IPL is expected to begin on March 26. Traditionally, the defending champions host both, the opening ceremony and the first match of the season.Earlier in the day, home minister G Parameshwara held a two-hour meeting with KSCA, RCB and officials of govt-appointed panel. It is learnt that the Rao-led committee expressed satisfaction with the progress made on safety, security and infrastructure upgrades at the stadium.The Justice D’Cunha Committee had recommended 17 safety measures at the stadium, classified into shortterm and long-term requirements, with March 15 set as the deadline.
