IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals close in on shifting home games to Pune

Rajasthan Royals. (Photo source: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

Amid the ongoing differences of opinion between IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), the team has closed in on shifting its home games out of Jaipur. RR seem to have made up their mind to play at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune over their original home ground at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium for the 2026 season of the cash-rich tournament.

Earlier in the development, Royal Challengers Bengaluru were also in the race to play in Pune over Bangalore’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Since the Chinnaswamy is still awaiting security protocols and has remained under suspension ever since RCB’s victory parade-turned-stampede incident, which took the lives of 11 civilians.

The Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, on the other hand, is also under similar situation related to security concerns after it had failed to comply with the safety evacuation norms, as reported by the FPJ. Moreover, RCA — the management behind the venue, is also in a situation of turmoil with no administrators appointed despite the court orders asking to do so.

The venue hosted its first-ever IPL match in 2012, which was held between the now-defunct Pune Warriors India and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). For the next two seasons, the venue had hosted PWI’s home matches, before being the permanent home venue for Rising Pune Supergiants, another discontinued franchise.

The ground became the fourth venue in the state to host an IPL match, after Mumbai’s Wankhede and Brabourne and the DY Patil in Navi Mumbai. It hosted its last IPL match during the 2022 season, when Kolkata Knight Riders played the Sunrisers Hyderabad in a league stage fixture.

What is the record of IPL matches at MCA Stadium, Pune?

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