Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru are set to shift their IPL 2026 home matches from Bengaluru to the D Y Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur.
Hosting rights were withdrawn from Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy stadium following a tragic stampede during RCB’s title celebrations last year, which claimed 11 lives. The venue has not hosted a match since the incident.
'RCB will play five matches in Navi Mumbai and two in Raipur during IPL 2026. The RCB officials have finalised the arrangements recently after meeting with the concerned officials,' a source told The Times of India.
The 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League is likely to begin on March 26, with the final scheduled for May 31.
Last month, Bengaluru Police denied Karnataka State Cricket Association the permission to hold the Vijay Hazare trophy match at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium on December 24, a day after a government appointed committee inspected the facility in light of the June 4
The Justice Cunha Commission which was constituted to investigate the June 4 stampede, had reportedly concluded in its report that the "design and structure" of the stadium were "unsuitable and unsafe" for mass gatherings.
The Commission had reportedly recommended adequate gates for mass entry and exit, purpose-built queuing and circulation zones separated from public roads, emergency evacuation plans compliant with international safety norms, and sufficient parking among other things.
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