Five games for RCB at Chinnaswamy Stadium in IPL 2026

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five of their Indian Premier League 2026 home games at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Benglauru, the franchise that recently lifted the title for the first time confirmed on Tuesday, March 3. They will play their other two home games at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, Cricbuzz reported.

The confirmation comes following months of apprehension after the disarray caused due to the events of June 4, 2025 when a stampede during RCB’s victory parade outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and injured 56 others. The iconic venue in Bengaluru has since not hosted any competitive matches and even had its allotted fixtures from the Women’s World Cup moved out.

The tragic episode raised serious questions around crowd safety and event readiness, prompting a temporary halt to cricket at one of the country’s busiest venues. What ensued was a high-level, comprehensive review involving multiple arms of the state machinery and the constitution of the Justice John Michael D’Cunha Committee, whose recommendations have been instrumental to any attempt to restore cricketing activity at the stadium.

“RCB extends its sincere gratitude to the Government of Karnataka, the Karnataka State Cricket Association and the Karnataka Police for their unwavering guidance, cooperation and support in facilitating the hosting of matches in Bengaluru,” a release from the franchise stated. “The collective efforts to ramp up infrastructure and safety measures in time for the IPL season have ensured that the defending champions will play the majority of their home games in their home ground.”