Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have been asked to confirm their home ground for IPL 2026 by January 27, as per reports. This comes after the 2025 champions had looked at alternate venues such as Pune and Navi Mumbai amid uncertainty over returning to the M Chinnaswamy stadium after the Bengaluru stampede. While a report earlier had claimed that the Karnataka government and police have granted permission for resumption of international cricket and IPL at Chinnaswamy, a new report has claimed RCB are hesitant to return to the venue.
RCB afraid to return to Bengaluru due to Karnataka govt
As per Dainik Jagaran, RCB is reportedly afraid of the new law enforced by the Karnataka government after the Bengaluru stampede left 11 killed and several injured. A BCCI source claimed that the law was as such that the team playing at the venue will be responsible for incidents (if any) in and around the roads leading to the venue. The report claims that RCB is hesitant to return to the Chinnaswamy stadium because of the fear of this stringent law. The report further claims that the space designated for fire brigade trucks at the venue is occupied by RCB’s DJ.
“Karnataka government decided to bring in a law after what happened there (Bengaluru stampede). Wherever a match is going on, even if something happens in the roads surrounding the venue, the team is held responsible. This is the reason why RCB owners are scared,” the BCCI source said.
Are RCB DY Patil-bound?
The report states that RCB wish to host five of their IPL 2026 matches at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. However, this is yet to fructify, as the team has to get a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Mumbai Indians as per the IPL rules
IPL 2026 dates
The report also shed light on the schedule for IPL 2026 and noted that the delay was due to the BCCI waiting for the Election Commission to announce dates for Vidhan Sabha elections in three states – Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Assam. Further, a January 27 deadline has been given to RCB and RR to finalize their stance on playing in Bengaluru or Jaipur. The cities that are likely to host IPL 2026 matches this year are Chennai, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, New Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Dharamsala, Visakhapatnam, Guwahati, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Navi Mumbai and Thiruvanathapuram.
