Chinnaswamy Stadium Declared 'Unsafe'; RCB, World Cup Matches Under Threat
The Justice John Michael D'Cunha Commission declared Chinnaswamy Stadium unsafe for mass gatherings, threatening the 2025 WC final and RCB's future games in IPL.
The Justice John Michael D'Cunha Commission, appointed by the Karnataka Government after the deadly June 4 stampede in Bengaluru, has declared the Chinnaswamy Stadium 'unsuitable and unsafe for mass gathering'. It puts into threat several matches scheduled at the ground, including the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup final.
11 people died, many teens among them, and several others were seriously injured near the stadium premises in a huge gathering to celebrate IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)'s maiden IPL win in the 2025 season. The team had arranged a parade, with the government also putting up some functions — none of which the city's infrastructure and police force seemed prepared to manage.
The commission also proposed measures to avoid such tragedies.
'Adequate entry-exit gates for mass entry and exit (ingress and egress), and emergency evacuation plans compliant with international safety norms," it said.
The local T20 tournament, called the Maharaja Trophy, will already be held indoors, after a directive from the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). If the government was to accept these recommendations, it would be difficult to see the ICC hosting the World Cup final and three other matches of the tournament at the venue.
It can also have an impact on RCB, who play seven matches here every season, and will be expected to get the hosting rights for the IPL 2026 final and second qualifier as the defending champions.
'Until such infrastructural changes are made, continuing to host high-attendance events at the current location poses unacceptable risks to public safety, urban mobility, and emergency preparedness," the comission said.
It also recommended legal proceedings against KSCA president Raghuram Bhat, now-resigned secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam, RCB vice-president Rajesh Menon, DNA Entertainment Networks MD T Venkat Vardhan and VP Sunil Mathur.
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