RCB Likely to Get a New Home Ground Ahead of IPL Season

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be going through some changes for the next season. There have been minimal changes to their squad but maximum changes in other cases. The team is already looking for a new owner, and now two grounds have stepped up as their likely home ground for the next season.

The time when Royal Challengers Bengaluru enjoyed the vibe of Chinnaswamy Stadium is about to end. It is likely that we have already watched the last game which RCB had played at this venue. Following the stampede which occurred in the last season, it was clear that the venue won't be hosting their matches further.

But there was a confusion, regarding which ground should be the host for them. A number of grounds emerged as the frontrunners for the same. Among them all, two grounds have been shortlisted, which are likely to be RCB's home ground for the upcoming season, and even further seasons to come.

1. RCB's Likely Home Ground

Fans have been wondering where they would be able to watch the home games of RCB. Having a match at Chinnaswamy Stadium with RCB seems to be out of the cards now. This stadium has been deemed as unsafe to host games, due to which even WPL matches will not be hosted there. And the same also goes for the RCB, as the team is likely to get two home grounds.

These will be Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and Raipur Stadium. It is also being reported that two of the team's home games will be played at Raipur, while the remaining five games will be played at Navi Mumbai. While some RCB fans would be sad of the matches being shifted, the others might also feel happy, knowing the team's record at Chinnaswamy.

It should be noted that these venues are still not confirmed to host their home games. Any official announcement from the IPL or RCB will confirm which venue will host the home games for the team. Earlier, Pune was also in the list for hosting the home games of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

2. What Led to Change in Home Venue?

The IPL 2025 final could be termed as the most chaotic final in the history of the game. Royal Challengers Bengaluru ended their winless streak in the IPL and finally won their first trophy in the 18th season. Following this, a victory parade was announced by the team at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and minimal crowds were expected.

But things didn't turn out as expected. First the RCB team visited the Vidhan Soudha and they received greetings from the Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah. Following this, the team was also supposed to have an open bus victory parade, but it was denied by the police. The team went on to the Chinnaswamy Stadium directly and the crowd went out of control.

As a result, a stampede took place just outside the stadium. According to reports, eleven people lost their lives in this stampede, and it also left 56 others injured. The team had announced free entry to the fans at the stadium, which led to people showing in huge numbers. Eventually, the stampede took place and even police had to go down to lathi charge for some crowd control.

The RCB team arrived at the stadium at 5:30 PM, long after the stampede had taken place. After knowing about the situation which took place over there, the felicitation ceremony took place for just a few minutes. An FIR was also lodged against the RCB franchise, with their marketing head being arrested a few days after the stampede.

3. RCB's Record at Chinnaswamy

Home grounds are considered to be the places where a team has a higher chance of winning. But when it comes to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the case is quite opposite. The team did not have a good record at their home ground, as they lost more games than what they had won. Along with that, it should also be noted that RCB only lost their home games in the last season.

RCB at Home Ground:

• Matches Played: 96
• Won: 44
• Lost: 46
• Tie: 1
• No Result: 4

They became the only team to win all away games in a single IPL season, which shows that playing at the home ground slightly made them weak. And now, their matches are likely to be shifted to Navi Mumbai and Raipur. If this happens, it might also be a boost for the RCB, knowing that their track record at Chinnaswamy was not that good. But the vibe at that stadium will be missed by the fans.