Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) long-awaited confirmation to return to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is still up in the air. While the Karnataka government has given the venue conditional approval to host matches again, RCB are in no hurry to lock it in as their home ground for IPL 2026. At least not as of yet, as they want to make it clear that fan safety remains the overriding concern.
The iconic Bengaluru stadium has not hosted a competitive match since May 17, 2025. On the next day that followed RCB’s historic IPL title win by beating the Punjab Kings (PBKS), a tragic stampede during victory celebrations on June 4 claimed 11 lives and left dozens injured. The incident led the state government to halt all major events at the venue, forcing the KSCA to miss out on hosting multiple tournaments, including the Women’s ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup 2026 games.
Over the past few months, the KSCA has worked towards meeting the government’s safety requirements. RCB, too, stepped in, pledging Rs 4.50 crore to help install 300–350 AI-enabled cameras as part of a revamped crowd-management system. Earlier this week, the government finally granted conditional clearance, prompting KSCA officials and former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad to urge RCB to confirm Chinnaswamy as their IPL base so unconditional approval can follow.
RCB points at ‘grey areas’ for IPL 2026
RCB, however, have pushed back gently but firmly. In an official statement, the franchise welcomed the government’s decision but put forward that unresolved issues remain.
“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 reiterated their fans-first stance in a second statement. However, they mentioned that there remain a few grey areas that need to be addressed.
“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, concerns persist about a new state law that reportedly places responsibility for any incident in and around the venue squarely on the hosting franchise. That fear has kept RCB exploring alternatives such as DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and Raipur, though any move would require additional clearances, including an NOC from Mumbai Indians. Alongside RCB, Rajasthan Royals (RR) are yet to confirm their home venue for IPL 2026. A January 27 deadline has been given to RCB and RR to finalize their stance on playing in Bengaluru or Jaipur
Cricket
RCB not committed to M Chinnaswamy Stadium yet to host IPL 2026 matches
