BENGALURU: The Bengaluru police have made elaborate security and traffic arrangements for IPL 2026 cricket matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28 and April 5.
City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh told the media on Tuesday that arrangements have been made as per the recommendations of a committee formed by the state government that had top officials from different departments.
“The gates to the stadium will open four hours before the match, and those without tickets will not be allowed to stand near the stadium. QR-code based electronic ticketing system, including a Metro pass, has been introduced. The match ticket price and Metro fare are combined so that people need not buy Metro train tickets separately (to and from). Parking is banned around the stadium,” he said.
“Fans are requested to use both Cubbon Park and MG Road Metro stations. BMRCL has arranged parking facilities at places from where fans board trains. As Queen’s Road gets congested, except for two entry/exit points all other entries have been closed. Maximum entry to the stadium will be from Cubbon Road that has 9 metre-high gates. There will be 28 openings from this road, and four entry points on the Link Road,” he said.
Fans can wait at ‘holding areas’ inside stadium, not outside
“The QR codes in the ticket will be sent to a ticket holder’s phone only five hours before the match. Tickets are non-transferable, and only those who have purchased the ticket must come to the stadium. Tickets are one-time use and no multiple entries are allowed. These are the security features that have been made by KSCA authorities and RCB management,” the commissioner said.
There will be ‘holding areas’ inside the stadium. Earlier, fans used to stand on the road, but this time, nobody will be allowed to do that as traffic and even people who come to watch the match will be affected. Those with tickets must go inside the stadium and can wait in the ‘holding area’. Practise ground, tennis ground and other spread-out areas have been converted into ‘holding areas’. “Shuttle buses will run from parking spaces to the stadium. The parking is limited. Cab pick-up and drop-off points will be at BRV Ground and Manekshaw Parade Ground,” he said.
Digital eye on the crowd
Over 500 CCTV cameras with real-time monitoring and AI- based crowd analytics have been put up
These will be monitored through the police command and control centre
QR-code based access control
Nine ambulances will be stationed at different places of the venue
Four medical triage centres will be set up
Public Address systems and signage will be installed across the stadium