The search for Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) home for the IPL 2026 season has taken a dramatic turn. While the defending champions were initially set to shift five of their home games to Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, that option is now officially off the table due to an intervention by the Mumbai Indians (MI).
Why Mumbai Indians have stopped RCB from playing IPL 2026 games at DY Patil Stadium?
According to an exclusive report by the Times of India, the RCB search for a temporary home in the IPL 2026 season has hit a major roadblock in Navi Mumbai. While the franchise was eyeing the DY Patil Stadium as a secondary base, the MI have reportedly stepped in to protect their territorial rights, urging RCB to seek out alternative venues across the country.
Mumbai have officially discouraged RCB from utilizing 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 explained to the Times of India: “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.”
The Mumbai-based franchise has taken a firm stance that the sanctity of home territories must be maintained to prevent a “free-for-all” in the future. The source further elaborated on MI’s reasoning, stating: “MI is of the opinion that RCB must exhaust other options before coming to DY Patil. There are so many non-IPL centres in the country. 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.”
IPL 2026: Raipur and Indore emerge as primary alternatives amidst Chinnaswamy uncertainty
With the Navi Mumbai option now effectively off the table, RCB have intensified negotiations with other state associations to finalize their 2026 itinerary. The franchise has already made significant progress in Chhattisgarh, with the Times of India reporting 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.” Consequently, with the DY Patil Stadium no longer a viable candidate, Indore’s Holkar Stadium has seen a resurgence in interest for the remaining five home fixtures.
A source to Times of India confirmed this shift, noting: “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.” Meanwhile, the fate of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium remains in the hands of the Karnataka government following the tragic stampede in June 2025.
While the KSCA is working on the Justice D’Cunha committee’s 17 recommendations, the decision hinges on a high-level safety inspection. Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara clarified the government’s cautious position, stating: “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.”
