Mumbai Indians (MI) have refused Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) a No Objection Certificate (NOC), meaning the defending champions cannot use DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai as their temporary home for IPL 2026.
According to IPL rules, teams need permission from local franchises when playing home matches in cities with existing IPL teams. MI holds territorial rights over both Wankhede Stadium and DY Patil Stadium located in Mumbai.
MI management believes RCB has not explored enough alternatives. They think that allowing RCB to use DY Patil could lead to complications later on.
A source stated:
“Why just DY Patil and not other stadiums in the country? There are many. MI feels RCB should look at other options before considering DY Patil. There are several non-IPL venues available.”
The source continued:
“Established centres like Rajkot, Pune, Raipur, Vizag, and Indore could be viable options. If MI agrees to DY Patil, other teams could also ask to play at Brabourne. This undermines the concept of home territories. RCB needs a solid justification for not choosing these other venues.”
Why RCB Is Searching for a New Venue
RCB is looking for a new venue due to a tragic stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the team’s title celebrations in June 2025, which resulted in 11 deaths and raised major safety concerns.
The franchise is unwilling to return to the stadium until significant safety upgrades, recommended by the Justice D’Cunha committee, are completed. Although the Karnataka government has given conditional approval, RCB is not satisfied since they need operational control at the stadium perimeter.
With DY Patil unavailable, RCB plans to split their home games for the upcoming season. Raipur is set to host two matches at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, while Indore will host the remaining five matches.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) is still seeking permission for RCB’s return to Bengaluru, with the stadium scheduled for final inspection later this week.
The defending champions need to adapt their strategies as IPL 2026 approaches in the coming months.
