[
PRINT
]RCB Yet to Confirm M Chinnaswamy Stadium for IPL 2026 Home Matches as Venue Decision Waits
by K D Mishra
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) still haven’t decided if they will return to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium for IPL 2026. The Karnataka government has allowed matches to be held there again, but only with some safety conditions. RCB are not rushing to make it their home ground yet, as they want to be fully sure that fans will be safe.
The Bengaluru stadium has not hosted any big match since May 17, 2025. A day after RCB won their first IPL title by beating Punjab Kings (PBKS), a tragic stampede happened during the victory celebrations on June 4. Eleven people lost their lives and many others were injured. After this, the state government stopped all large events at the stadium. Because of this, the KSCA could not host important tournaments, including Women’s World Cup and some matches of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
In the last few months, the KSCA has been working to improve safety at the stadium. RCB also supported this by giving ₹4.50 crore to install 300 to 350 AI cameras to help manage the crowd better. This week, the government finally gave conditional permission to use the stadium again. After this, KSCA officials and former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad asked RCB to confirm Chinnaswamy as their home ground so full approval could be given.
RCB say that there are still some 'grey areas' to look in to 👀
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) January 21, 2026
No confirmation yet that the defending champions will play all their #IPL2026 home games at the Chinnaswamy. pic.twitter.com/Ptl4MRcfCf
However, RCB are still being careful. In their statement, the team welcomed the government’s decision but said that some safety issues are still not fully solved. So for now, RCB have not locked Chinnaswamy Stadium as their IPL 2026 home venue.
“We welcome the Karnataka Government’s decision to allow matches to be held at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, and we highly appreciate the KSCA’s efforts in the ongoing infrastructure work that has led to this conditional approval. While our desire is always to play at our home ground in front of our ardent fans, we are committed to fully understanding the conditions applicable to hosting matches here and the measures taken to ensure fans’ safety protocols are met. Our goal is to determine how all stakeholders can best work together.”
RCB again said that their top priority is their fans. In a second statement, the team explained that while progress has been made, a few important issues still need to be sorted out. Because of this, they are taking their time before making a final decision.
“We have repeatedly stated that fans are the heart and soul of RCB. With our fans-first approach, we want to ensure they have the best and safest experience possible. From our preliminary conversations, there remain a few grey areas that need to be addressed; we are considering these parameters and inputs from all stakeholders before arriving at a responsible decision for the team and our fans.”
Behind the scenes, there are still worries about a new state rule. This rule is said to make the hosting team responsible if anything goes wrong inside or around the stadium. Because of this, RCB is also looking at other options like DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and Raipur. But moving to another venue would need more permissions, including a no-objection letter from Mumbai Indians.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) are also in the same situation and have not yet confirmed their home ground for IPL 2026. Both RCB and RR have been given a deadline of January 27 to decide whether they will play in Bengaluru or Jaipur.
