Defending Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are all set to return to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, with five of their home games confirmed to take place in Bengaluru this season, the franchise announced on Tuesday (March 3).
This significant development comes after months of “hard work and close coordination across all concerned authorities” with a common goal of bringing the games back to home ground for the fans, RCB said in a media statement.
After RCB won their maiden IPL trophy last year, their celebrations outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium turned tragic with 11 people killed in a stampede. Following this, matches were banned at the stadium. However, recently, the Karnataka government gave the green signal to resume both IPL and international games at the venue.
IPL’s schedule is yet to be announced. However, RCB, being the holders of the trophy, are set to host the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru.
2 games in Raipur
The remaining two home matches of their IPL 2026 campaign will be staged at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur as “per prior commitment”.
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“RCB extends its sincere gratitude to the Government of Karnataka, the Karnataka State Cricket Association 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,” RCB added.
‘Fans deserve’
Rajesh Menon, CEO, RCB, said, “The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is more than just our home ground it is where our identity as a team truly comes alive. The energy our fans bring to Bengaluru has always been a driving force for our players, inspiring them through every phase of the game. Our fans have stood by us unconditionally, and they deserve the opportunity to watch their team compete at home.”
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“After detailed discussions and completing the necessary due process around permissions, we are pleased to confirm that RCB will play five matches in Bengaluru. We sincerely thank the Government of Karnataka, the KSCA, and the Karnataka Police for their support in making this possible,” he added.
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