RCB to play five home matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium

Ending months of speculation, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) announced its return to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here for IPL 2026.

RCB will play five of its home games at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, while the two remaining home matches will be held at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur, the franchise announced on Tuesday.

The IPL opening match, one playoff match and the final will also be held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, KSCA secretary Santosh Menon stated.

RCB’s much awaited homecoming comes after the stadium fell out of favour as a result of the stampede which claimed 11 lives last year. The iconic venue was then barred from hosting high-level cricket by the State government and the police.

Thanking all

“RCB extends its sincere gratitude to the Government of Karnataka, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and the Karnataka Police for their unwavering guidance, cooperation and support in facilitating the hosting of matches in Bengaluru. The collective efforts to ramp up infrastructure and safety measures in time for the IPL season have ensured that the defending champions will play the majority of their home games in their home ground,” an RCB statement read.

The decision to bring the stadium back into the fold comes as a huge relief for the KSCA. The stadium ban was a central issue in the recent KSCA election, which was won by the team led by former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad.

Earlier this year, the KSCA began work on the stadium to ensure a safer fan experience, in line with the recommendations made in the Karnataka government-appointed Justice John Michael D’Cunha commission.

An elated KSCA President Prasad stated that it was “great to have the IPL back at this iconic venue”.

“To have RCB play in Bengaluru makes each and every cricket fan very happy. It is a great achievement for us at the KSCA to make this happen in the span of just two and a half months. This is a bigger achievement than my five-wicket haul against England (Lord’s, 1996). Yes, there is a bit more work to be done (to get the stadium ready), but we will definitely deliver within the timeline given to the expert committee,” Prasad said.

“I had mentioned in an earlier press conference that the ball was in RCB’s court. We are very happy that RCB has responded and played ball,” Prasad said.