IPL 2026: RCB to Play Home Matches at Two Venues, M Chinnaswamy Stadium Left Out
It’s no longer surprising that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will play an IPL season without the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The most surprising part of it is that it has become so “normal” to think this way. Several months have passed since the tragic stampede after RCB celebrated their very first IPL title win, and now the team is preparing for the future without playing at their traditional home stadium.
RCB to Shift IPL 2026 Home Matches as BCCI Drops Chinnaswamy Stadium Over Safety Concerns
Since that incident, there has been no major cricket event held at this stadium. The International Cricket Council has even withdrawn this stadium from the list of venues for the Women’s ODI World Cup in 2025. Now, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has withdrawn this stadium from the list of venues for the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup in 2026. No domestic cricket tournaments like the KSCA Maharaja T20 Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy are to be held in this stadium.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association has been working against time to get it back on track. The renovation is in full swing in an attempt to implement new safety standards set by the Karnataka government in response to the "highly unsafe" opinion rendered by the Justice Michael D’Cunha Committee about the stadium. The entry and exit points are being expanded, and new emergency evacuation systems are being implemented. The aim is to complete it by February, just in time for the IPL. However, RCB does not get to bank on their luck and will be forced to play their "home" matches elsewhere.
🚨 NAVI MUMBAI & RAIPUR - THE NEW HOME OF RCB 🚨
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 13, 2026
- DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai & Raipur is likely to be the home venues of RCB in IPL 2026. [Gaurav Gupta from TOI]
5 matches in Navi Mumbai & 2 matches in Raipur. pic.twitter.com/Mi7HQPNvx1
Despite these developments, RCB is unwilling to rush back. Sources said the franchise does not want security concerns or logistical glitches to catch them on the wrong foot as they go in for the title defense of the trophy when memories of what happened last year are still in player’s and supporter’s minds.
As per a report by TOI, RCB will divide their IPL 2026 home games between DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium. Five games were said to be held in Navi Mumbai and two in Raipur to the report of TOI.
