Bengaluru’s Absence in 2026 T20 World Cup: Stadium Snub Unveiled

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will not be hosting any matches in next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. This decision comes even though the stadium recently resumed hosting cricket events after a lengthy closure following a tragic stampede in June.

Venues for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026

India:

• Arun Jaitley Stadium (Delhi)
• Narendra Modi Stadium (Ahmedabad)
• M. A. Chidambaram Stadium (Chennai)
• Eden Gardens (Kolkata)
• Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai)

Sri Lanka:

• R. Premadasa Stadium (Colombo)
• Sinhalese Sports Club (Colombo)
• Pallekele International Cricket Stadium (Kandy)

The stadium returned to activity with the K. Thimmappiah Memorial Trophy, organized by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) in September. This was a red-ball multi-day pre-season tournament and marked the first event hosted at the venue since June 4, when a stampede resulted in the deaths of 11 people during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations outside the stadium. Following the incident, strict safety and operational regulations were enforced around the venue.

Consequently, the Maharaja Trophy, Karnataka’s T20 league, was relocated from Bengaluru when the Karnataka State Cricket Association’s request to hold the event behind closed doors was denied by the police. The tournament was ultimately held in Mysore without an audience.

Additionally, the KSCA was not granted permission to conduct matches during the Women’s ODI World Cup, resulting in Bengaluru losing its allocation of five matches, which included the opener, a semifinal, and the final, held on November 2.

Published on Nov 25, 2025