Cricket is all set to return to Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy stadium for the first time since the Bengaluru stampede that killed 11 persons. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, on Tuesday, confirmed that five out of their seven home matches in IPL 2026 will be held at the iconic venue, putting an end to speculations as to whether the franchise would return to the city after the tragedy. Earlier, it was reported that RCB were looking at option such as Pune to host their home games and were hesitant to return to Bengaluru despite the Karnataka government providing a green light to host matches at the Chinnaswamy stadium after a significant delay.
RCB to host 5 matches in Bengaluru
As per a press release, RCB will host 5 of their home matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The two other home matches will take place at the at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur as per prior commitment.
“After detailed discussions and completing the necessary due process around permissions, we are pleased to confirm that RCB will play five matches in Bengaluru. We sincerely thank the Government of Karnataka, the KSCA, and the Karnataka Police for their support in making this possible,” RCB CEO Rajesh Menon said in a statement on Tuesday.
RCB had even sought a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Mumbai Indians to host their IPL 2026 home games at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. However, that was rejected by the five-time champions who asked the IPL 2025 winners to explore other venues instead. Meanwhile, renovation works based on the recommendations of the Justice Cunha Committee where implemented earlier this year by the Venkatesh Prasad-led KSCA as they board aimed to bring back cricket to Karnataka’s capital as soon as possible.
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