IPL 2025 champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru don’t seem to be getting their home ground, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, in IPL 2026.
Last June, during the IPL victory celebrations, a stampede occurred, killing 11 people and injuring dozens.
Following this, the BCCI and KSCA banned the stadium from hosting major events. RCB fans are in shock, as this is a major blow to their Next home ground.
That dark night of the stampede and the present difficulties
Imagine, RCB won the IPL trophy for the first time, everyone was rejoicing. But on June 4, 2025, the crowd outside Chinnaswamy Stadium went out of control. 2.5 lakh fans gathered, and crowd management failed.
The Justice Michael Cunha Commission reported that the stadium’s design was outdated and unsafe for mass gatherings. Action was recommended against several officials, including KSCA President Raghuram Bhat.
For this reason, the stadium was also removed from the Women’s World Cup 2025 and the KSCA’s Maharaja T20 Trophy. This ban on RCB’s home matches in IPL is still being lifted.
KSCA elections, which were scheduled for September 30th, are also being delayed. They may now extend into December.
Candidate Venkatesh Prasad said, “This delay is hindering RCB’s efforts to bring back Chinnaswamy Stadium. We want to bring cricket back, but the legacy is in danger due to non-cricketer candidates.”
His management is silent, but it is clear that a new home ground will have to be found for IPL 2026.
RCB Home Ground 2026
The front-runner is the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune. The MCA has offered the stadium Royal Challengers Bengaluru because of its extensive experience hosting IPL matches there. It has previously won six out of nine matches there.
An MCA official said, “We’ve had preliminary discussions, and some technical issues need to be resolved. Stampede is a problem in Karnataka, so our ground is a perfect fit.”
Bengaluru could host seven home games here in IPL 2026. This will be the first time Bengaluru will play an entire season without Bengaluru; Chinnaswamy has been their home venue since 2008.
Choosing Pune as their Next home ground will open a new chapter for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Virat Kohli and the team will find new energy, but fans will have to travel.
Chinnaswamy may return after the KSCA elections, but right now, Pune seems to be Plan B for IPL 2026. This decision could be finalized before the mini-auction.
