The M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru has not hosted a game since fatal stampede in June 2025.
In January, reports suggested that RCB, who lifted the IPL 2025 trophy, were reluctant to return to their home ground, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, following the Bengaluru stampede, and were keen to stage their home games at the Navi Mumbai venue.
As per the Times of India, MI urged RCB to explore alternative locations for their IPL 2026 home fixtures, pointing out that the country has several non-IPL centres.
According to the report, MI questioned why RCB was focusing solely on the DY Patil Stadium instead of considering other options. It is worth noting that to play at the DY Patil Stadium, RCB must seek approval from the Mumbai Indians, whose home ground, the Wankhede Stadium, is located nearby.
“If a franchise wants to establish a home base not far from the home of another franchise, it needs clearance to go ahead. It is the same catchment area. Wankhede and DY Patil are not far apart. If a franchise wants to set up a base at DY Patil, it cannot happen without approval from the one operating out of Wankhede. MI reasoned, ‘Why only DY Patil and not any other stadium in the country? There are plenty. MI is of the opinion that RCB must exhaust other options before coming to DY Patil. There are so many non-IPL centres in the country,” a source claimed as per the Times of India.
According to the source, RCB might play matches in a variety of places, including Vizag, Rajkot, Pune, and Indore.
Any other team could approach the Mumbai Indians in the future to play IPL matches at the Brabourne Stadium, which is adjacent to the Wankhede Stadium, according to the source, who defended MI's decision to deny permission to RCB.
“There are established centres like Rajkot, Pune, Raipur, Vizag, and Indore. The current situation is simple: if MI says yes to DY Patil, then tomorrow, some other team can come and express desire to host their matches at Brabourne. It kills the sanctity of home territories. And there needs to be a strong reasoning in place why RCB is not ready to play at these centres and only interested in DY Patil,” the source added.
Since the fatal incident on June 4, the Chinnaswamy Stadium has not hosted a big cricket match. The iconic venue is currently being upgraded in response to the Justice D'Cunha committee's 17 recommendations, with the KSCA having already begun work on most of them. The RCB also met with Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday.
The meeting was attended by COO Rajesh Menon, KSCA president Venkatesh Prasad, and a few other officials. Prasad expressed optimism during Monday's discussion, but the franchise is still exploring options. With the season approaching, the decision should be conveyed to the IPL Governing Council and the BCCI as soon as possible to ensure that the season's fixtures are released on schedule.