After Royal Challengers Bengaluru ended their long trophy drought with a famous inaugural IPL victory in 2025, talisman Virat Kohli laid down the gauntlet and made extremely clear what the ambition for the fresh year is: do it all over again, and this time, lift the trophy on home turf at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Heading into 2026, RCB’s home turf finds itself in uncertain territory. Following the tragic stampede during their title celebrations, the KSCA has put the Chinnaswamy on hold as an international venue, costing it matches during both the Women’s ODI and Men’s T20I World Cups.
Even now, IPL matches taking place at the ground where it all started is up in the air. In the BCCI’s official statement, they noted the following:
“The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka. The committee will conduct a meeting and inspection of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 13, 2026, during which a full-scale mock demonstration of match-day arrangements will be carried out to assess the stadium’s preparedness for hosting IPL matches.”
RCB's schedule in IPL 2026
With that in mind, the defending champions have been slated to kick off the IPL season, as has been tradition in this tournament. They are set to begin proceedings for the season on 28 March, when they host Sunrisers Hyderabad in what should be a lip-smacking power-vs-power contest with extreme quality on both sides.
{{/usCountry}}With that in mind, the defending champions have been slated to kick off the IPL season, as has been tradition in this tournament. They are set to begin proceedings for the season on 28 March, when they host Sunrisers Hyderabad in what should be a lip-smacking power-vs-power contest with extreme quality on both sides.
{{/usCountry}}Following a decent eight-day break early in their schedule, next up at home will be the IPL’s Great Southern Derby, as Chennai Super Kings come visiting – with MS Dhoni vs Virat Kohli battles growing rarer and rarer, a must-watch for all.
Following this, it’s a long roadtrip to the northeast, up to Guwahati where Rajasthan Royals will host them, and then back down to the southwest where the Wankhede Stadium will welcome the defending champions.
RCB's last match in Bengaluru will take place on 24th April against GT, with the remainder of their fixtures split between Raipur and away games. RCB end their season with two matches on the road, first against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala, then travelling to Hyderabad to face SRH.
RCB’s IPL 2026 full schedule
28/03 – RCB vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Bengaluru, 7:30 PM
5/04 – RCB vs Chennai Super Kings, Bengaluru, 7:30 PM
10/04 – Rajasthan Royals vs RCB, Guwahati, 7:30 PM
12/04 – Mumbai Indians vs RCB, Mumbai, 7:30 PM
15/04 – RCB vs Lucknow Super Giants, Bengaluru, 7:30 PM
18/04 – RCB vs Delhi Capitals, Bengaluru, 3:30 PM
24/04 – RCB vs Gujarat Titans, Bengaluru, 7:30 PM
27/04 – Delhi Capitals vs RCB, Delhi, 7:30 PM
30/04 – Gujarat Titans vs RCB, Ahmedabad, 7:30 PM
07/05 – Lucknow Super Giants vs RCB, Lucknow, 7:30 PM
10/05 – RCB vs Mumbai Indians, Raipur, 7:30 PM
13/05 – RCB vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Raipur, 7:30 PM
17/05 – Punjab Kings vs RCB, Dharamsala, 3:30 PM
22/05 – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs RCB, Hyderabad, 7:30 PM
It is also worth noting that RCB are one of the few teams who are expected to split home venues. They will get five matches at home in Bengaluru as long as this week’s inspection goes to plan, but will also see two games held in Raipur’s Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium to boot.