M Chinnaswamy Stadium to host RCB's matches in IPL 2026 only at this condition

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are the defending IPL champions.

Last season’s winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) may have to find a new home for the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Karnataka Government has conditionally put a hold on the clearance for hosting next season’s IPL matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

On behalf of the state government, the Public Works Department (PWD) has issued a notice to the Karnataka State Cricket Association, asking for a detailed structural safety report to give an NOC to the venue for the IPL 2026.

Chinnaswamy Stadium’s hosting rights for IPL 2026 are in doubt

The recent developments may not be as pleasing for the RCB. Their home support is one of the best in the league, and the franchise draws its strength from the phenomenal support that it receives at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, making it a testing venue for the visiting sides.

Chinnaswamy Stadium’s hosting rights are in doubt and will remain so until a structural safety report prepared by experts accredited to the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) is submitted to the PWD.

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Another tournament to shift out of Bengaluru?

IPL 2026 might not be the first tournament to be shifted out of Bengaluru. Earlier this year, Bengaluru was locked in as one of the venues for the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, but it was later stripped of the hosting rights.

The safety issues at the venue first surfaced when a stampede happened last year during the trophy celebration of RCB, following the last IPL season. 11 people lost their lives, and close to 50 people were injured. This disaster prompted the state government to tighten its noose on the safety standards at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

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