IPL 2026: Chinnaswamy Stadium likely to get a green signal for RCB home games
The Indian Premier League 2026 first phase schedule has been announced. The tournament opener will be played between the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. With this schedule announcement, it is almost confirmed that Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will host RCB home matches in IPL 2026. Concerns about the stadium’s security were raised following the tragic incident outside M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s title celebrations in 2025. The incident also sparked speculation that RCB might consider moving to a new home ground.
However, in the first phase, RCB is expected to play both home games at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. RCB will play two of their home games this season in Raipur. BCCI also clarified that the matches in Bengaluru will depend on a final safety clearance from the authorities.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka.
"The committee will conduct a meeting and inspection of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 13, 2026, during which a full-scale mock demonstration of match-day arrangements will be carried out to assess the stadium's preparedness for hosting IPL matches," the release stated.
As per the current plan, the Royal Challengers will play their 5 home matches at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and 2 home games at Raipur. However, the final confirmation for the Bengaluru matches will depend on the outcome of the inspection, which will be conducted on March 13, and the Karnataka Government's decision.
If, for some reason, the Chinnaswamy Stadium doesn't get the green signal, then Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play all their matches at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur, which will be a big blow for Bengaluru fans. According to the first phase schedule, Chinnaswamy will have to host two matches - RCB vs SRH on March 28, and RCB vs CSK on April 05.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) — First phase matches
- RCB vs SRH (March 28) Bengaluru
- RCB vs CSK (April 05) Bengaluru
- RR vs RCB (April 10) Guwahati
- MI vs RCB (April 12) Mumbai
