In the previous installment, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru made the history by winning their first Indian Premier League trophy. The win of RCB after 18 years of waiting would be always associated with an unfortunate incident that occurred in the city of Bengaluru the day after the lifting of the trophy in Ahmedabad.
On the announcement of the final victory over Punjab Kings, the legacy player Virat Kohli wanted to initiate the celebrations of the trophy with the Bangalore audience. But the combination of multiple problems like communication, mismanagement, and lack of civic consciousness resulted in a stampede in the city. Twelve people lost their lives and many others were hurt. Furthermore, the cricket ground was barred from hosting any matches, such as the KSCA Maharaja Trophy and the Women’s ODI World Cup in 2025, which were scheduled for that year.
Will M Chinnaswamy Stadium Host RCB Home Matches in IPL 2026?
The home ground of RCB for 18 years has been the site of some amazing matches. But the sad occurrences in Bengaluru might compel the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL to implement very rigorous measures.
Last season, Rajat Patidar & Co. became victims of bad luck as they lost three home matches in a row. The last of them was against the Kolkata Knight Riders but without a ball bowled, since it was rained off. This was also Virat Kohli’s first match post the announcement of his retirement from Tests on May 12, 2025.
The previous IPL final was held at the same venue in 2016. RCB was the main opposition of SRH. It would have been a dream come true to get the cup in front of the whole crowd but the Sunrisers got the trophy for the first time.
Are the matches of RCB at home grounds during IPL 2026 going to be hosted at MCA Stadium, Pune?
The day after the scary incident in Bengaluru, the franchise was rumored to have contacted MCA’s Stadium in Pune as the site for their home matches.
Simultaneously, the Rajasthan Royals are in a tough situation. The Rajasthan Cricket Association had accused the team of spot-fixing during the last season. The team very clearly denied all the suspicions and at the same time was trying to relocate its base to Pune. Nevertheless, two of their home matches will still take place in Guwahati, at least.
On January 4th, 2026, MCA came out with a release which talked about both RCB and RR teams visiting the stadium recently during the weeks.
The MCA statement also says, “With the BCCI backing the Maharashtra Cricket Association, we are positive that the Board of Control for Cricket in India will endorse the MCA International Stadium as a location for the future events of one of these teams [RCB, RR] shortly. Thanks to the BCCI support, IPL matches can be hosted in Pune soon—bringing together high-profile clashes, world-class players, and the thrilling IPL show to the cricket fans in the city.”
In sum, MCA Stadium will be the venue for home matches of one of the two teams. It’s hard to say when the adoptee team will emerge from Pune, while the other team’s struggle will continue.
Pune once more beheld IPL matches, notably for their own team, the Rising Pune Supergiant, which had been the case in 2016 and 2017.
The fans of the Bangalore team are everywhere all over the world. It would not be difficult to replicate the M Chinnaswamy Stadium’s “RCB, RCB” chants at any other place in India. Conversely, the feelings of the fans will be impacted whether or not the decision to move matches to Bangalore is made.
An official announcement is being looked forward from either of the teams.
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