RCB Break Silence On Hosting IPL 2026 Matches In Bengaluru: "Few Grey Areas"
The venue has received a conditional green light from the state government to host international and IPL matches, months after a stampede incident followed RCB's title win last year.
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru broke their silence on hosting IPL 2026 matches in Bengaluru
- The comments came after the onus was put on them by Karnataka cricket board to host the matches in Bengaluru
- "There remain a few grey areas that need to be addressed," the defending IPL champions said
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have reacted to Venkatesh Prasad's remarks after the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president placed the onus on the franchise to host their Indian Premier League (IPL) matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The venue has received a conditional green light from the state government to host international and IPL matches, months after a stampede incident followed RCB's title win last year. Speaking on Wednesday, Prasad urged RCB to speed up the process of hosting games at home so that the KSCA can get unconditional clearance from the BCCI.
However, RCB, in an official release, insisted that while they do want to play their matches in front of the home crowd, the franchise feels that there are still a "few grey areas" that need to be addressed to ensure fans' safety.
"We welcome the Karnataka Government's decision to allow matches to be held at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, and we highly appreciate the KSCA's efforts in the ongoing infrastructure work that has led to this conditional approval," RCB said in a statement.
"While our desire is always to play at our home ground in front of our ardent fans, we are committed to fully understanding the conditions applicable to hosting matches here and the measures taken to ensure fans' safety protocols are met. Our goal is to determine how all stakeholders can best work together."
The iconic venue has been deprived of cricket since 11 fans were killed in a June 4-stampede during RCB's victory celebrations.
While RCB appreciated the KSCA's efforts to bring cricket back to the Chinnaswamy, the franchise also insisted on providing fans with a safe and secure experience.
"We have repeatedly stated that fans are the heart and soul of RCB. With our fans-first approach, we want to ensure they have the best and safest experience possible. From our preliminary conversations, there remain a few grey areas that need to be addressed; we are considering these parameters and inputs from all stakeholders before arriving at a responsible decision for the team and our fans."
Royal Challengers Bengaluru