Royal Challengers Bengaluru, also popularly called as RCB, completed their long-awaited dream to win a title last IPL season, where they lifted their first IPL trophy after beating Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 Final. It will be the first time that RCB will play as the defending champions in an IPL season when IPL 2026 starts. 

As tradition, the defending champions RCB will play the tournament opener when they host SunRisers Hyderabad at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 28. 

While the first phase of the IPL 2026 schedule has been revealed with the first 20 matches fixtures, RCB have got four games, including two home and two away matches. 

RCB IPL 2026 Tickets: How and Where to Buy Royal Challengers Bengaluru 1st Phase Home Match Tickets?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL 2026 Schedule

Without any doubt, Rajat Patidar is set to lead the defending champions, as RCB are dreaming of successfully defending the title, which is a rare record in the past 18 years of the tournament. 

IPL 2026: RCB Complete Squad

Rajat Patidar (Captain), Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Abhinandan Singh, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Satvik Deswal, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan

The 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to begin on March 28 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which will host its first game of any age group for the very first time since the previous IPL edition. The final, on the other hand, is scheduled to be held on May 31. As per the tradition of the league, the winners will be part of the curtain raiser. 

That means Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who won their first season of the event last year against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, will play the opening game. However, their opposition side is yet to be finalized as of now in the competition. 

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“Yes, IPL 2026 will begin on March 28 in Bengaluru, and the final will be held on May 31. The schedule of the first 20 days of IPL-2026 will be announced soon (in a day or two), while the schedule of the rest of the IPL schedule will be announced after the Election Commission of India announces the dates for elections.” The BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, expressed, as per the reports of the Times of India (TOI).

IPL 2026 to begin on March 28 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru

In the previous election years, including 2009, 2014, 2019, and 2024, the BCCI had released the fixtures of the event in two phases. A day before the IPL auction last year, the governing council of the league informed the franchises that the 2026 edition would begin on March 26, but it was later pushed back to March 28.

There must be concerns for a few franchises to get their overseas players in time for the start of the league, amidst the US-Iran war situation. Many international sides, post the end of the T20 World Cup 2026, have reached home quite late from their scheduled departure.

Meanwhile, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have started their practice session as their former captain, MS Dhoni, has started to spend time in the nets along with the Indian players, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, Ayush Mhatre, Prashant Veer, and others.

The defending champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), ahead of the 2026 season, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), recently got the nod to host a few of their home games at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, while they will feature in two more home games at the Shaheed Narayan Veer Stadium in Raipur. That has been positive news for the franchise. 

RCB has reportedly revealed that their famous Unboxing event will happen at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 20 or 22. This is a massive show for the fans as the players will attend the event and have a blast, while on the other hand, there will be consequences and pressure on the management of the ground to host the party smoothly, especially after what happened in their victory parade.

See Also: Pakistan team's hotel attacked by drones amidst US-Iran war: Report

The Governing Council (GC) of the IPL has already cleared the first half of the schedule of IPL 2026, which is expected to be announced by March 06 or 07. The GC met online and decided to release the season 19 fixtures in two phases, with the first set likely later this week. 

RCB Unboxing event scheduled on March 20 or 22 in M. Chinnaswamy

The opponents of the RCB, the Rajat Patidar-led side are yet to be finalized. The reports have claimed that the start of the season could be pushed back by a few days, with March 28 or 29 emerging as possible dates, as the final, as announced earlier, will be held on May 31.

In the recent communication to the franchises, it was conveyed by the BCCI acting CEO and IPL COO, Hemang Amin, that the practice session guidelines would be shared next week, while it was also stated that the No Objection Certificates for the overseas players would also be shared in one go for the coming days.

There is no clarity yet on when the Stat Assembly election schedule will be declared. There is a limited time, for which the BCCI has decided to release the fixtures in two phases, as it has done in previous election years, as the first phase of the IPL 2026 will happen in the initial 13-14 days.

While the IPL 2026 schedule is a work in progress, the home venues for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have been revealed. 

IPL 2026 schedule going to be revealed this weekend

Due to several state assembly elections, the IPL 2026 fixtures have been delayed. However, according to the latest Cricbuzz report, the first half of the IPL 2026 is likely to be officially announced later this week, most likely on March 6 or 7. 

For IPL 2026, there is a big focus on the venues for the home matches of the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Their official home venue, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, is in talks for the concern since the stampede chaos during RCB's maiden IPL trophy victory celebration last June, which resulted in 11 deaths and 50+ injuries. 

Since that incident, the Bengaluru venue lost the chance to host the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 and the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Due to significant work, the venue also missed out on the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 Final, which was ultimately shifted to KSCA Hubli Cricket Ground in Hubli.

M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will host RCB home matches in IPL 2026

According to the latest Cricbuzz report, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will host five home matches for the RCB in the IPL 2026. Meanwhile, the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium will reportedly host the other two home matches for RCB. 

According to the latest report, IPL 2026 will follow its culture of starting the season with the home fixture of the defending champions. Moreover, just like the culture of the other IPL seasons, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will also host one playoff and the Final of the IPL 2026. 

Jitesh Sharma’s inclusion in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) side ahead of the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was a massive game-changer, as he brought stability and calmness in the batting order, which, for most of the time, has been known for the top order of the franchise. 

Jitesh Sharma, during an interaction with Ab de Villiers, reckoned that he always wanted the batting of the franchise to collapse, which would be an opportunity for him to do well and bail the team out of trouble on several occasions. And to go by numbers, the wicket-keeper batter has contributed immensely in that aspect of the game during the previous season.

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“You won’t believe it, but I always pray to God, let my top order collapse, then I can bat. I see an opportunity to become a hero. I always visualize such innings in my life, and I’m the kind of person who always wants to do something magical.” Jitesh expressed during the interaction with Ab de Villiers.

Jitesh Sharma gives shocking statement ahead of IPL 2026 for RCB

Jitesh smashed 261 runs during the previous edition of the tournament, which they went on to win. He got the record in 11 innings with the bat at an average of 37.28 and a strike rate of 176.35 with the help of one half-century at the best score of unbeaten 85 runs.

However, he didn’t come up with a purple patch performance in the shortest format for the blue brigade as he claimed only 162 runs in 12 innings at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 151.40, with the best score of 35, which saw him get dropped from the T20 World Cup 2026 squad.

Ahead of the IPL 2026, Jitesh would hope to polish more of his skills and come up with better results with the bat in crucial situations of the game. It will be important for him to hold the lower order and save the ship from sinking.

The excitement for the T20 World Cup 2026 is currently ongoing in India, with the Indian Team also performing well. Under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian team has won all four matches in the group stage, securing a place in the Super-8. This round is set to begin on February 21, and India's first match is on Sunday against South Africa in Ahmedabad. Meanwhile, the countdown for the next season of the world's biggest T20 league, the IPL, is also underway, which is scheduled to be held between March and May. A major update has now come regarding its full schedule.

Recently, a report by Dainik Jagran revealed a potential list of venues for IPL 2026. It was also mentioned that the 19th season of the IPL could start on March 26, with the final match expected to be held on May 31. However, that report did not provide any updates regarding the full schedule of the upcoming IPL season. Meanwhile, there are reports that its announcement could be made next week.

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There is a lot of discussion on social media regarding the announcement of the full schedule for IPL 2026. Fans are continuously tweeting about it on X, as everyone wants to know when and where their favorite team will play. If the league's upcoming season possibly starts in March, then the full schedule could be released next week or soon after, so that all preparations can be made in time.

IPL 2026 to begin on March 26 with the final scheduled to be held on May 31 ✅

-Full IPL 2026 Schedule likely to be released by next week ✅#ipl2026 pic.twitter.com/V8ARil3aBu

— Chennai (@memeschennai) February 20, 2026

Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Play Home Matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium

  Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who had failed to win a title in the first 17 IPL seasons, made history in the 18th season by winning the title for the first time. The victory was celebrated on a grand scale. During the festivities on June 4 at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, a large number of fans attended. Unfortunately, a stampede occurred outside the stadium, resulting in the loss of 11 lives and injuries to more than 50 others. 

  Following this incident, large matches were banned at Chinnaswamy Stadium, leading the city to lose hosting rights for the Women's One Day World Cup 2025 matches. As a result, there was uncertainty about RCB's home venue. However, this uncertainty was recently resolved when the Karnataka government granted permission to the Bangalore franchise to host matches under certain conditions.

Ahead of the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise and fans received great news of their Karnataka government giving the green signal to their home venue, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Now, the reports have claimed another update of them getting sold ahead of the season.

The Glazers have used Manchester United as collateral to buy a cricket team, which is worth 1.8 billion pounds. Previously, it was reported that the global investors, including the Manchester United co-owner, Avram Glazer, are looking at bidding over a billion US dollars to buy both Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR).

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The estimated bid amount for each franchise is expected to be close to or beyond the combined value of the Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, as the IPL franchise that the BCCI sold in 2021 for a combined total of INR 12715 crore, which is nearly 1.69 billion. It was also revealed that eight investors have made the shortlist for RCB, whose Men’s and Women’s teams are the current champions of IPL and WPL.

Manchester United likely to buy RCB for 1.80 billion dollars

The RCB shortlist includes the Lancer Capital owned by Abraham Glaz, who is now the frontrunner to complete the signing, while the others are the Manipal Group owned by Ranjan Pai Adhar Poonawalla, who owns the Serum Ministry of India, Times of India Group, EQT Private Capital, and Capri Global.

🚨RCB SALE UPDATE🚨

- The Glazers have used Man United as collateral to buy a cricket team worth 1.8 billion pounds. pic.twitter.com/vlIM0Ju6tU

— RCBIANS OFFICIAL (@RcbianOfficial) February 15, 2026

Sanjay Govil, the US-based businessman who owns the Washington Freedom in the Major League Cricket and the Welsh Fire in 100, along with the private equity firm Premji Invest, is also part of the list. The estimated bid for RCB is likely to be between 1.2 and 1.8 billion dollars.

These ranges were derived from the non-bidding bids investors made in the initial round, which was in February for RCB. It was reported that both RCB and the Royals have provided the option of 100 percent sale to the bidders ahead of the season.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) continue their hunt to find a new home venue for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, as the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai is off the table. It has been learnt that the RCB have been asked by the Mumbai Indians to ‘exhaust other options’ before coming to the venue of Navi Mumbai.

The reports of the Times of India (TOI) have claimed that the developments explain that it would be the same area of the Mumbai Indians franchise and won’t paint a bright picture going forward. Generally, an IPL franchise can’t choose a venue in a different city without the approval of the city’s franchise.

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“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. MI reasoned, ‘Why only DY Patil and not any other stadium in the country?” The TOI report expressed.

MI ask RCB to consider different venues ahead of IPL 2026 before Navi Mumbai

It has also been addressed that the RCB have already detailed their discussions with the Chhattisgarh government about hosting at least two of their home games in Raipur for the 2026 season. With no DY being available at the moment, the Holkar Stadium in Indore could host the five other home games for them.

“There are plenty. MI is of the opinion that RCB must exhaust other options before coming to DY Patil. There are so many 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 desire to host their matches at Brabourne.” The TOI report claimed.

“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 centers and is only interested in DY Patil.” It has been informed.

Australia has suffered another huge blow ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026in India and Sri Lanka as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star, Josh Hazlewood, has been ruled out of the event just five days before the opening clash against Ireland, but a decision on a replacement will be made at a later stage. His withdrawal follows that of their captain, Pat Cummins.

Josh Hazlewood’s absence is significant after a dominant 2025 in the shortest format. He took 12 wickets at 16.58 and an economy rate of 7.37 in 2025 during the Indian Premier League (IPL). But his numbers inside the power play were even better, taking eight wickets at an economy rate of 6.72. He tore through the Proteas in Darwin and India in Melbourne with figures of 3/27 and 3/13 from four overs.

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“We were hopeful Josh would be back to match fitness by the Super 8 stage, but the latest indications are that he is still some time away, and accelerating his program will carry too much risk. We will not be naming a replacement player immediately. We feel we are well covered for the initial games, so we will make any later decisions based on priority need at the time.” Selector Tony Dodemaide expressed.

Josh Hazlewood ruled out of T20 World Cup 2026 for Australia

Australia had other injury concerns ahead of the event. Adam Zampa, who reported groin tightness during the final T20I against Pakistan, will be available for the opening game against Ireland, as the reports claimed, while Nathan Ellis and Tim David are on track for the group stage of the tournament.

Hazlewood’s absence means it will be the first time since the 2009 Champions Trophy that the national side has gone to an ICC event without one of Hazlewood, Cummins, or Mitchell Starc (retired). Steve Smith or David Warner in the squad.

None of David, Ellis, and Zampa were available to play in the warm-up against the Netherlands in Colombo on February 05 that was washed out without a ball bowled after the Australia side had listed the only eleven fit players they had available in the squad.  

The imprisoned fraudster Sukesh Chandrashekhar has gained public attention again because he contacted Diageo which owns the IPL team Royal Challengers Bengaluru to show his intention to purchase the franchise. Sukesh asserted in his letter that his company LS Holdings intends to purchase the franchise through a complete cash payment of US$1 billion which equals approximately ₹8,300 crore.

Sukesh proposed that the deal would transfer all RCB rights which include trademarks, player contracts, league entitlements, and legal ownership, to him after regulators give their approval. He declared his offer to be both “realistic” and competitive while demonstrating his capability to exceed the bid which Pune businessman Adar Poonawalla had submitted.

Sukesh informed Diageo that LS Holdings can finish the deal within 48 hours because the company will not require any external financial resources. He stated that his team would put the total sum into escrow before starting official discussions because his organization is ready to meet all IPL governing council and BCCI requirements.

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Sukesh calls charges allegations, says buying RCB would be a gift for Jacqueline

Sukesh contested all legal claims against him because he believed that the charges existed only as unproven allegations which had not yet reached a courtroom. He added that LS Holdings has no legal disputes and is registered and operational across several countries.

Sukesh considered RCB his "home team" and declared that purchasing the franchise would fulfill his lifelong ambition. He controversially added that owning the team would be a "gift" to his partner, Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez. He reiterated this sentiment in a separate letter addressed to her, expressing hope that the deal would materialise with "God's blessings".

Diageo has not yet provided any official response to Sukesh Chandrashekhar's letter which includes claims about the proposed takeover of Royal Challengers Bengaluru.