Bengaluru to host IPL matches again this season after stampede

The Indian Premier League (IPL) will return to Bengaluru this season despite a stampede that killed 11 young fans outside the city's stadium last summer, the cricket board said on Wednesday.

Dozens more were injured in the crush near the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in June while Royal Challengers Bengaluru held a parade to celebrate their maiden IPL win.

Authorities later deemed the venue unsafe due to structural and crowd-management deficiencies, and moved important fixtures elsewhere.

But the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Wednesday that, pending an inspection, the stadium would host games during this year's IPL, which begins on March 28.

Matches in Bengaluru would be subject to clearance from an expert committee constituted by the local Karnataka state government, the BCCI said.

"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," it said as it released the schedule for the first phase of the hugely lucrative T20 tournament.

The remaining fixtures will be announced after the dates for scheduled local elections in three states during the tournament are finalised, the board said.

Royal Challengers are set to play five home games at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium this season.

The IPL has grown into the world's richest cricket league since its inaugural season in 2008, and has added billions to the Indian economy and the BCCI.