NEW DELHI: Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium made headlines for all the wrong reasons after 11 people were killed in a tragic stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory parade on June 4.
However, the stadium is set to host cricket again after three months, as the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has included it among the venues for the K Thimmappiah Memorial Trophy, a red-ball pre-season tournament featuring 16 teams.
The six matches, including the semi-final and final, will be played at Chinnaswamy, but fans will be deprived of the chance to witness the action due to safety measures.
The tournament will feature teams such as Mumbai, Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, bringing marquee players like Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Venkatesh Iyer, Vijay Shankar, and Shashank Singh into the spotlight. However, fans will only be able to follow the action on television or online, as in-person attendance remains restricted.
The matches have been cleared to go ahead even as investigations continue into the stampede tragedy, with the state government, police, and RCB still facing scrutiny from a tribunal.
The stadium was also stripped of hosting Women’s World Cup matches - including the opening game, a semi-final, and the final - after the power supply was discontinued for failing to meet fire safety regulations.
