search for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) home to ipl 2026 The season has taken a dramatic turn. While the defending champions were initially set to shift five of their home games to the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, the option has now been officially closed due to interference. Mumbai Indians (MI).
Why has Mumbai Indians stopped RCB from playing IPL 2026 matches at DY Patil Stadium?
According to an exclusive report of times of IndiaRCB’s search for a temporary home for the IPL 2026 season has hit a major hurdle in Navi Mumbai. While the franchise was looking at the DY Patil Stadium as a second base, MI have reportedly stepped in to protect their territorial rights, urging RCB to look for alternative venues across the country.
Mumbai have officially discouraged RCB from using the DY Patil Stadium, citing the league’s established catchment area protocols. According to a source tracking the development, MI believes that allowing another franchise to operate so close to the Wankhede Stadium would set a dangerous precedent. The source told times of India: : “If a franchise wants to set up its home base not far from another franchisee’s home, it needs approval to proceed. It is the same catchment area. Wankhede and DY Patil are not very far. If a franchise wants to set up its home base in DY Patil, it cannot be done without the approval of the person operating from Wankhede.”
The Mumbai-based franchise has taken a strict stance that the sanctity of home fields must be maintained to prevent “free for all” in future. The source elaborated on MI’s reasoning, saying: “MI is of the opinion that RCB will have to explore other options before turning to DY Patil. There are a lot of non-IPL centers in the country. There are established centers 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 their desire to host their matches at Brabourne. It destroys the sanctity of domestic areas. And a strong argument is needed as to why RCB is not ready to play at these centers and is only interested in DY Patil.
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IPL 2026: Raipur and Indore emerge as primary options amid Chinnaswamy uncertainty
With the Navi Mumbai option now effectively closed, RCB has intensified talks with other state associations to finalize their 2026 itinerary. The franchise has already made significant progress in Chhattisgarh times of India To report this: “RCB has already held detailed talks with the Government of Chhattisgarh about hosting at least two of its home matches in Raipur in the 2026 edition.” As a result, DY Patil Stadium is no longer a viable candidate, Holkar Stadium of Indore A resurgence in interest has been seen for the remaining five domestic fixtures.
A Times of India source confirmed the change and said: “There were discussions even when DY Patil was in the race, but now that he is not in the race, Indore is back in the race.” Meanwhile, the fate of M.Chinnaswamy Stadium Karnataka is in the hands of the government after the tragic stampede in June 2025.
While the KSCA is acting on the 17 recommendations of the Justice D’Cunha committee, the decision depends on high-level security oversight. Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara, clarifying the government’s cautious position, said: “At Wednesday’s meeting, senior government, police and law officials will discuss what can be done at the government level and what instructions should be given to the KSCA. The extent of redressal of the issues raised by the Justice D’Cunha Committee has to be considered. We need the CM’s approval.”
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