BENGALURU: In a bid to effectively control crowds at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the city during matches, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Friday proposed installation of 300 to 350 AI enabled cameras to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
The advanced surveillance technology will empower the KSCA and law enforcement agencies to efficiently manage crowd movement, ensure disciplined queueing, monitor unauthorised access through real-time tracking of entries and exits, and significantly enhance overall fan safety.
Its real-time AI video analytics capability enables early detection of incidents such as violence, unauthorised access and intrusion, facilitating swift and effective law-enforcement response. RCB will bear a one-time cost of around Rs 4.5 crore rupees for this initiative.
Ever since its inception in 2008, RCB play their home matches at the historic venue, owned and managed by the KSCA. On June 4 last year — a day after RCB won the IPL for the first time — a drastic stampede at the victory parade occured on the premises of the stadium, costing 11 lives. Ever since the horrific incident, matches with fan attendance have not taken place.
The state government then instituted a one-man commission led by retired High Court judge Justice Michael D'Cunha. After inspections, it concluded that the stadium is unfit for large-scale events and laid down measures to be implemented by the KSCA. Recently, Vijay Hazare Trophy matches scheduled at this venue — where the likes of Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant were slated to play — were moved out to the BCCI's Centre of Excellence, in the outskirts of the city, as instructed by the state government due to safety concerns.
It remains to be seen whether RCB would play their matches here for IPL 2026.