NEW DELHI: As Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) continue their hunt for an alternative home venue for the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) edition, the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai is off the table. It is reliably learnt that RCB have been asked by the Mumbai Indians to “exhaust other options” before considering the Navi Mumbai venue. Sources tracking developments explain it’s in the same catchment area as MI and could set a wrong precedent going forward.“If a franchise wants to establish a home base not far from the home of another franchise, it needs clearance to go ahead. It is the same catchment area. Wankhede and DY Patil are not far apart. If a franchise wants to set up a base at DY Patil, it cannot happen without approval from the one operating out of Wankhede. MI reasoned, ‘Why only DY Patil and not any other stadium in the country? There are plenty. MI is of the opninion that RCB must exhaust other options before coming to DY Patil. There are so many non-IPL centres in the country,” explained the source.
“There are established centres like Rajkot, Pune, Raipur, Vizag and Indore. The current situation is simple, if MI says yes to DY Patil then tomorrow some other team can come and express desire to host their matches at Brabourne. It kills the sanctity of home territories. And there needs to be a strong reasoning in place why RCB is not ready to play at these centres and only interested in DY Patil,” added the source.It is further understood that RCB have already had detailed conversations with the Chhattisgarh government about hosting at least two of their home matches in Raipur in the 2026 edition. With DY Patil no longer in the race, Indore has emerged as an option for the remaining five games.“There were discussions when DY Patil was in the race too, but now that it is no longer there, Indore is back in the mix,” added the source.
KSCA continues to push for RCB matches at Chinnaswamy
Since the tragic June 4 stampede, the Chinnaswamy Stadium has not hosted a major cricket match. The iconic venue is currently undergoing upgrades based on the Justice D’Cunha committee’s 17 recommendations, and KSCA has already initiated work on most of them. RCB also met Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday. The meeting was attended by COO Rajesh Menon, KSCA president Venkatesh Prasad, and a few other representatives.Prasad was optimistic after Monday’s meeting, but the franchise continues to explore options. With the season approaching, the decision needs to be communicated to the IPL Governing Council and the BCCI at the earliest to ensure the timely release of the season’s fixtures.
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There is a venue inspection on Wednesday, and some clarity is expected after the meeting of officials.“At the Wednesday meeting, senior government, police and law officials will discuss what can be done at the government level and the instructions to be given to the KSCA. The extent of redressal of issues flagged by the Justice D’Cunha committee will have to be considered. We need the CM’s approval,” Parameshwara said.
