RCB Takes Massive Step to Get Chinnaswamy Stadium Back Ahead of IPL 2026

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are making every step possible to bring back cricket to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The venue was deemed unfit to host the cricket matches after the tragic incident that happened after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final.

After the RCB won the IPL 2025 final by beating the Punjab Kings in the final in Ahmedabad, the RCB management organised a victory parade at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The celebrations turned into tragedy as 11 people lost their lives and more than 50 were injured in a deadly stampede.

Following that, M Chinnaswamy didn’t get permission to host the games. The matches in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup were also moved out of the venue. Also, some of the games in the Vijay Hazare Trophy were also shifted as the Karnataka govt was yet to give the clearance.

There were reports which claimed that KSCA and RCB are keen to host the matches in Indian Premier League at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The reports added that they are chances that cricket will be back at the venue. But a few days after that, a report emerged that RCB had approached MCA to host their games in Pune.

RCB Suggests AI-Enabled Cameras at M Chinnaswamy Stadium

Amid all the fuss and KSCA yet to get clearance from the government, RCB has come up with a unique idea to bring back cricket at their home. They have proposed the installation of 300 to 350 AI-enabled cameras for crowd management.

The franchise, as per their press release, has partnered with Staqu, a technology company, and has proposed AI cameras, which will allow the KSCA management to “efficiently manage crowd movement, ensure disciplined queueing, monitor unauthorised access through real-time tracking of entries and exits, and significantly enhance overall fan safety.”

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be investing a one-time cost of this initiative, estimated at approximately ₹4.5 crore for this project. However, it will be upto the KSCA as well as the state government to see if they give a green signal to the new initiative by the franchise, which will help in controlling M Chinnaswamy stadium crowd capacity.

With the RCB investing heavily, it shows that they are more than eager to play their games at Chinnaswamy in the IPL 2026. They are the team with the most fan base in IPL. If the M Chinnaswamy stadium cameras are put in place, it will be a massive boost for them as the franchise enjoys a huge fan following in Bengaluru.

Will RCB Play IPL 2026 in Chinnaswamy Stadium?

The Chinnaswamy Stadium is among the smallest cricket stadiums in India. Recently, a Times of India report suggested that if Chinnaswamy doesn’t get clearance for IPL 2026, the RCB will play their home games in Navi Mumbai and Raipur. The franchise have finalised the arrangements as well.

“RCB will play five matches in Navi Mumbai and two in Raipur during IPL 2026. The RCB officials have finalised the arrangement recently after meetings with the concerned officials," The Times of India quoted a source as saying.

So far, there isn’t any official word from management. With the IPL 2026 approaching soon, the official announcement in this regard will be made soon. RCB are also the defending champions of IPL having won the tournament in 2025.