IPL 2026: Will Bengaluru's Matches Be Held at Chinnaswamy Stadium? Big Update on RCB's Home Ground

IPL 2026's Biggest News! Will Matches Be Held at Chinnaswamy After Stampede Incident? Government Grants Major Relief to RCB Based on Justice D'Cunha Report. Know on What Conditions Bengaluru Will Host IPL's Opening Match and Final...

IPL 2026, RCB Home Ground: All the rumours surrounding Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) home ground have finally ended. Defending champions RCB will now play their matches at their home ground, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The government has given the green light to the stadium, implementing the recommendations of the Justice John Michael D'Cunha report.

Stricter Enforcement Now: Government

The government has made it clear that rules regarding ticketing, crowd control, and stadium entry will be strictly enforced from now on. They stated, "We are moving forward with full responsibility and accountability." The government will clarify the remaining conditions related to permission in the coming days. This was officially confirmed by Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday.

Special for RCB

This ground is also special for RCB as it will host the opening match. According to the rules, the team that is the previous year's champion hosts the first match (Inaugural Match) of the IPL. This means IPL 2026 will commence from Bengaluru.

Claiming the Final

As champions, RCB also has the right to host Qualifier 2 and the final match at their home ground. The last time a final was held in Bengaluru was in 2016 (when this rule was not in place), where RCB lost to Hyderabad. Now, returning there as champions presents a significant opportunity.

Why the Ban?

This decision comes after a major incident. On June 4, when RCB was celebrating their first IPL victory, a stampede occurred at the stadium due to a massive crowd. Tragically, 11 people lost their lives in this unfortunate incident. Following this event, the government had banned matches with spectators citing security reasons, which has now been lifted after security arrangements were strengthened.