The 19th Indian Premier League will be held from March 26 to May 31, but it remains to be seen if defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru's home base gets a game after a deadly stampede halted big-ticket cricket at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Going by the norms, the Chinnaswamy Stadium should host the tournament opener, considering that the home side, RCB, had won the IPL 2025 title, but no clarity on this can be expected till the BCCI comes out with the full-scale schedule.
The venue witnessed chaos and a stampede, which left 11 dead, after RCB's trophy celebrations drew lakhs on the streets, which was well over the state machinery's capacity to handle at a short notice, in June.
While the venue has received conditional clearance from the Karnataka government, it also needs to meet the necessary safety and security standards following the deaths. The franchise had drawn immense criticism for encouraging people to come out for the street celebrations without requisite clearances from government agencies.
"Every year, the IPL opening match traditionally takes place at the home ground of the team that won the trophy in the previous season," recently-elected Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president Venkatesh Prasad told reporters in Mysuru.
"But there was some uncertainty due to the stampede during RCB's IPL championship celebrations on June 4. So, I've held discussions with the BCCI about hosting the opening match in Bengaluru, and they are also discussing the matter," he added.
In the aftermath of the stampede, Bengaluru lost the opportunity to host Women's World Cup matches held earlier this year due to security and administrative issues.
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