Bengaluru, March 26 -- With the IPL 2026 season set to kick off on March 28, Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium is at the center of a fiery controversy - and it's not about cricket.
The opening clash between defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad has sparked a heated political battle over ticket allocation.
Both ruling and opposition MLAs demanded VIP tickets during Thursday's Karnataka Assembly budget session, claiming they are being sidelined despite having given land for the stadium.
Opposition Leader R Ashok didn't hold back. "MLAs are being disrespected at Chinnaswamy. We have to fight for tickets with KSCA. They are selling tickets in our names! We gave 16 acres and 32 guntas of land for this stadium...