Royal Challengers Bangalore will play two of their home matches during the IPL 2026 season in Raipur, it has been officially confirmed by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai. With Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium out of action due to security concerns, RCB is set to adopt multiple temporary venues for the upcoming edition. Raipur's Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium will now host two IPL matches.
rcb Won their first IPL title in 2025 after a wait of 17 years, but the celebrations were marred by a massive stampede in Bengaluru. Last year, 11 people lost their lives in the tragic incident during the franchise's victory parade, following which an independent commission declared the M Chinnaswamy Stadium unsafe to host large gatherings. As a result, the venue lost the rights to host fixtures of the 2025 Women's World Cup and 2026 Men's T20 World Cup as well as IPL matches. Despite assurances from new Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president Venkatesh Prasad, RCB were forced to look for alternative home venues for IPL 2026.
On Tuesday, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai confirmed that Raipur will host two IPL matches as part of RCB's domestic schedule. The announcement was made after a meeting between the Chief Minister and RCB CEO Rajesh Menon.
“We spoke to RCB CEO (Rajesh Menon) today. He came to meet us. We have decided that two IPL matches will be held here,” SAI said in a public announcement.
Today, there was a courtesy meeting with Shri Prabhatej Singh Bhatia, Joint Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Shri Rajesh Menon, Vice President of IPL 2025 champion team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
On this occasion, the jersey of RCB team was skated and in the function of the upcoming IPL match… pic.twitter.com/bPIdHDYak7
– Vishnu Dev Sai (@vishnudsai) 13 January 2026
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Later, the Chief Minister asked Ax to share more details, revealing that he also met BCCI joint secretary Prabhtej Singh Bhatia during the discussions. SAI said detailed discussions were held regarding the arrangements and logistics required to host the IPL matches and he was presented with the RCB jersey during the courtesy call.
RCB officials have reportedly already inspected the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium and held discussions with the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Association. After the Chief Minister's confirmation, preparations for hosting the matches are now expected to speed up. Raipur last hosted an IPL match in 2013, when Delhi Capitals faced Kolkata Knight Riders.
According to reports, RCB may play its remaining five home matches at MKDY Patil Stadium. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals are expected to shift their home matches to the MCA Stadium in Pune after the Rajasthan Cricket Association failed to hold elections.
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