Bengaluru, March 16 – The defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), will return to their home ground, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, to play the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on March 28. This follows the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) receiving official permission from the Government of Karnataka to host the matches.
KSCA made the official announcement of the permission on Monday, following a meeting between KSCA officials, the state home minister, and an expert committee that inspected and reviewed the safety measures at the venue on March 13.
"We are pleased to announce that a meeting was held earlier today at Vidhana Soudha, chaired by the Hon'ble Home Minister of Karnataka, Dr. G. Parameshwar, with the Expert Committee and representatives from KSCA, RCB, and DNA. During the meeting, the Expert Committee presented its report outlining the preparedness and compliance measures undertaken at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium," the KSCA stated in a media release.
"Based on the recommendations of the Expert Committee and after a thorough review of the arrangements, the Hon'ble Home Minister has formally approved the conduct of the upcoming IPL matches at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru," the release added.
Following the clearance, RCB will play five matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, while two of their home games will be held in Raipur, as previously announced by the franchise.
The Chinnaswamy Stadium has not hosted any matches for RCB since the horrific stampede that occurred near the stadium; eleven people lost their lives and more than 50 people were injured due to mismanagement during the franchise's celebration of their maiden IPL title last year.
According to the IPL 2026 schedule released by the BCCI, after clashing with SRH in the opener, the 2025 Champions will also face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their next home match on April 5.