Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) may play their IPL 2026 home games in Pune at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium, as the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru has been declared unfit to host events following a tragic stampede incident during RCB’s IPL 2025 victory celebrations.
The stampede in June 2025 outside Chinnaswamy led to 11 fatalities and many injuries, resulting in safety reviews and the stadium’s suspension from hosting major events including IPL matches and potentially other international tournaments.
RCB in Talks to Pune’s MCA
The MCA Stadium in Pune has been proposed as the new temporary home ground for RCB for IPL 2026. Initial talks between RCB and the Maharashtra Cricket Association are ongoing, with the MCA offering to host all home fixtures pending the resolution of technical details.
Pune is considered a suitable alternative due to its modern infrastructure, good airport access, hotel facilities, strong local fan support, and a stadium capacity comparable to Chinnaswamy. This move means that RCB’s historic connection with Chinnaswamy will be on hold for the 2026 season due to safety concerns and administrative decisions after the tragedy.
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This represents a significant venue change for RCB, who have played at Chinnaswamy since IPL inception in 2008, due to unprecedented circumstances related to crowd safety and tragedy.
