The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru received the clearance to host the IPL 2026 home games for Royal Challengers Bengaluru but the matches will be conducted under strict conditions with the Karnataka government taking strict steps for crowd control. According to a report by News18, the government has come up with a “well-planned mechanism” which will be used to manage crowds and ensure their safety. The biggest step taken by the government is that only 28,000 spectators will be allowed for the matches. While the stadium can hold 35,000 spectators, the government has decided to lower the attendance in order to make it easy for the organising teams and the police to position themselves for better coordination.
“Eighty per cent of the tickets must be sold online, while the remaining offline tickets can only be sold three days before the match,” a top source told CNN-News18.
The organisers, including RCB, have been instructed to monitor the ticket sales process and avoid any ‘overcrowding’.
The stampede that took place during the celebrations following RCB’s maiden IPL title win in 2025 saw an estimated 1.5 lakh people gather around the venue, leading to massive overcrowding.
This year, the organisers have created designated holding areas outside the stadium to reduce crowd pressure at the entry points and the gates themselves have been widened to ensure the safety of the fans, according to the report.
“There will be colour coding of the tickets and the seats will correspond to that colour. People cannot cross over to another gate if their ticket indicates a different colour,” the source told CNN-News18.
“For instance, if someone has a yellow ticket, they will be directed only towards the gates marked yellow and seated in that zone. They cannot move to another area. This helps both the ushers and the police quickly identify where spectators are located and respond immediately if a situation arises,” the official explained.
The other major concern raised by the government was the sudden surge of spectators arriving by metro. In order to combat the issue, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) will be increasing the number of coaches on match days and also enhance frequency of trains.
“This time, BMRCL has been instructed to continuously share passenger numbers travelling towards the metro stations around the stadium,” an official said.