Karnataka state cabinet gives a nod to Chinnaswamy Stadium to host international and IPL games

The Karnataka state government, on Thursday, February 12, gave a final nod to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), headed by the former pacer Venkatesh Prasad, to resume international cricket as well as the IPL games. 

This decision was taken following extensive meetings with the KSCA President Venkatesh Prasad and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) officials. The Karnataka state cabinet has expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the KSCA in making the Chinnaswamy Stadium safer.

While speaking to the reporters on Thursday, Venkatesh Prasad revealed that a majority of the work undertaken in January 2026 is in the final stages. Moreover, he expressed confidence in making the stadium ready for the spectators by the end of February.

"The BCCI is keen for us to host the IPL opening at Chinnaswamy. [I have] got to thank the state government and the home ministry for their support along the way towards helping us bring cricket back. We're confident of completing the infrastructure work on time,” Prasad said after a meeting with state government officials.

Earlier this month, the RCB franchise was informed to look for alternate venues outside the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai as one of their home venues for the IPL 2026 season. In January 2026, RCB officials met the Chhattisgarh CM over the possibility of hosting two home games in Raipur.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad for IPL 2026

Retained players

Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Abhinandan Singh, and Suyash Sharma.

Players bought

Venkatesh Iyer (7 cr), Mangesh Yadav (5.2 cr), Jacob Duffy (2 cr), Satwik Deswal (30 L), Jordan Cox (75 L), Vihaan Malhotra (30 L), Kanishk Chouhan (30 L), Vicky Ostwal (30 L).

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