Although a final decision is still pending, Royal Challengers Bengaluru‘s (RCB) proposed venue for their IPL 2026 home games is still the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Before committing to its long-time home venue, the RCB is looking for clarification on responsibilities and safety standards, while the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) is certain that it would meet all safety and compliance requirements.
The stadiums were temporarily prohibited from hosting games after the devastating stampede disaster that occurred during RCB’s title celebrations in June 2025, resulting in numerous fatalities and injuries. Before announcing the location for IPL 2026, RCB wants the outstanding issues fixed, even though the Karnataka government has officially granted conditional consent for holding IPL and international matches.
The IPL is set to start on March 26. As the reigning champions, RCB will play in the first game.
The BCCI has yet to provide the complete itinerary, though, since it is awaiting word from the home team. According to RCB, playing in front of their fervent supporters at Chinnaswamy is still their top choice. The franchise, however, is seeking precise guidance regarding a clause that holds the promoters accountable for any incidents that occur within and around the site. The franchise demands clarity on the distribution of accountability among the many stakeholders, including the state government, KSCA, and BCCI.
RCB commended KSCA’s continuous infrastructure work and accepted the government’s conditional approval.
In a statement, RCB acknowledged the government’s conditional approval and commended KSCA’s continuous infrastructure development, but insisted that a responsible decision would only be made following more consideration. Additionally, the franchise has suggested investing INR 4.5 crore once to deploy 300–350 AI-enabled cameras for crowd control.
Venkatesh Prasad, president of the KSCA, said that the organisation has been working hard over the last 45 days and is dedicated to finishing all required safety enhancements by the end of February. These include erecting ramps to provide better mobility, particularly for women, children and persons with disabilities; expanding entry and departure gates; establishing interior holding rooms; improving access for ambulances and fire engines; and strengthening fire safety infrastructure.
In order to avoid dangerous crowd build-ups, the organisation has also stated that Queen’s Road will be a traffic-free area on matchdays, planned a fully digital ticketing system, and identified the National Cricket Academy entrance as the primary concourse.
Despite the optimism, Prasad has stated that communication has been mostly one-sided thus far and has put the responsibility for starting a dialogue with the government on RCB. With talks already underway with the Chhattisgarh government, RCB has investigated backup options, like as holding games in Navi Mumbai and Raipur.
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