Bengaluru to return to Chinnaswamy Stadium for IPL games after safety improvements

BENGALURU, India, March 3 : Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in this year's Indian Premier League at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where a stampede killed 11 people in June while fans were celebrating their maiden IPL title outside the arena, the franchise said on Tuesday.

The stadium will stage this month's tournament opener and a playoff match as well as the final, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president Venkatesh Prasad told news agency PTI.

The decision to return to their stadium, which has not staged cricket matches with fans in attendance while the local government reviewed its safety arrangements, was taken after discussions with the KSCA, Bengaluru said in a statement.

"The collective efforts to ramp up infrastructure and safety measures in time for the IPL season have ensured that the defending champions will play the majority of their home games at their home ground," Bengaluru said.

Bengaluru will also play two of their seven home games in the IPL's league phase in Raipur.

Local media reports said the KSCA, led by former Indian international Prasad, conducted an infrastructure overhaul to improve fan safety.

"We sincerely thank the Government of Karnataka, the KSCA, and the Karnataka police for their support in making this possible," Bengaluru's CEO Rajesh Menon said.