At the beginning of the season, RCB confirmed that five of their home games would be held at the latter, while the other two would take place at an alternative location.
This decision to relocate part of their home schedule to Raipur is largely driven by increasing safety concerns related to crowd management at the Bengaluru venue.
The need for reassessment stemmed from the stampede incident during the RCB victory parade last year, leading to 11 tragic fatalities.
In the aftermath, major cricket activities at the stadium were suspended as authorities launched a thorough safety evaluation.
The Karnataka government, along with the High Court, has been supervising this evaluation to ensure adherence to updated safety regulations before large events can resume.
Consequently, doubts arose regarding whether M. Chinnaswamy Stadium would be ready in time to accommodate matches with full spectator attendance for IPL 2026.
With crowd safety and infrastructural preparedness being scrutinized, both the franchise and the BCCI considered alternative options to prevent any disruptions to RCB’s home schedule.
Raipur was chosen as the preferred venue for the two moved matches. The stadium in the city, which accommodates around 65,000 spectators, provides the necessary scale for high-profile IPL encounters.
Moreover, Raipur has not hosted an IPL match since 2016, presenting a new opportunity for the league and allowing it to broaden its reach into an underutilized market.
