Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s long-awaited return to their home ground was confirmed when they said five of their seven IPL 2026 home matches will be at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The team will play the two remaining home matches at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur.
Back to Chinnaswamy Stadium
This decision finishes the months of doubt about where the games would be, following the awful crush last year. RCB said how grateful they were to the Karnataka Government, the Karnataka State Cricket Association and the Karnataka Police for making the move possible.
KSCA secretary Santosh Menon said the opening IPL match, a playoff match and the final would also be held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. That these important matches will be there shows just how much the stadium is back as part of the IPL.
The Chinnaswamy was not allowed to hold top-level cricket after the crush which led to eleven deaths. This ban caused doubts about Bengaluru holding IPL games, and made the team have to think about other plans for the 2026 season.
Safety work and official permission
KSCA started specific work on the stadium, to follow what the Justice John Michael D’Cunha commission had suggested. Officials acted quickly to improve crowd control, who gets into the stadium and other safety features.
KSCA President Venkatesh Prasad said the change was a big success, and that the association had delivered in about two and a half months. He said more work was needed, but promised to meet the expert group’s time limit.
Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur as the second place
RCB will share their home games, using Raipur as a short-term second place for two games. This decision honours earlier promises made while the Chinnaswamy permission was being waited for, and it gives the team some flexibility when setting up the schedule.
The Raipur ground has seen IPL games before; it held several games in earlier seasons, and once saw a very good performance by a leading batter. It’s a proven alternative while Bengaluru gets ready for a full return.
What this means for RCB and their fans
Having five home games at Chinnaswamy gives RCB a good home advantage for IPL 2026. The team who won the title last time will aim to use the conditions they know and the strong local support as they try to keep the title they won with Rajat Patidar.
The whole IPL schedule is expected to be between March 26 and May 31, with ten teams playing eighty-four games and four playoff games. Fans in Bengaluru will be watching for the full list of games when it is published.
This return to home also matters for business. Local ticket sales, hospitality and sponsorship events can now be based on the Chinnaswamy, which should help engagement and the fan experience during the whole season.
What happens next and what to expect
RCB thanked the state authorities and police for helping and stressed that safety is still the main thing. KSCA and the team will go on improving how the stadium works before the season starts.
With permission in place and two places sorted, attention goes to the game schedule and the team’s preparations. Fans hope the return to Chinnaswamy will start another good run for RCB in IPL 2026, both on and off the field.
