Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Host Five IPL 2026 Home Games at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium

Bengaluru. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has confirmed that it will play five of its home games at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium for the upcoming 'Indian Premier League' (IPL) 2026. This decision was made following a lengthy discussion between officials of the Karnataka State Cricket Association and RCB on Monday.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also been informed, and the official IPL schedule is expected to be released soon. It is likely that the season's opening match, a playoff, and the final match, possibly on March 28, will also be held at Chinnaswamy.

The franchise has confirmed that it will play its remaining two home games at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur, as per prior commitment. Last January, RCB CEO Rajesh Menon met with Chhattisgarh government officials to discuss the possibility of hosting matches there. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai assured full cooperation, including tax exemptions, upon signing a Memorandum of Understanding.

According to RCB CEO Menon, all necessary permission-related procedures have been completed. Although the KSCA, headed by Venkatesh Prasad, showed determination regarding stadium readiness, RCB had sought clarity from the state government and police on security and other legal matters.

Specifically, RCB was concerned about the clause stating that the organizer would be responsible for any untoward incident that might occur around the stadium. Monday's meeting clarified the ambiguity regarding who among RCB, KSCA, and the state police would be responsible as the organizer.

Following the death of 11 people in a crowd surge outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the IPL victory celebrations last June, the government issued a 17-point directive for improving the stadium's infrastructure. Accordingly, the KSCA must complete all remaining work by March 15.

Work is underway to widen the entry and exit gates to rectify the shortcomings identified in the audit report by Justice (Retd) John D'Cunha.

Furthermore, arrangements are being made to ensure smooth movement of ambulances and to use the premises of the old National Cricket Academy (NCA) as an assembly area for crowd management. Although RCB expressed concern about having to reduce spectator capacity, no such directive has been issued yet.