Rajasthan Royals likely to play IPL 2026 home games at Pune’s MCA Stadium

Rajasthan Royals are likely to shift their IPL 2026 home games from Jaipur to Pune’s MCA Stadium due to disputes with the Rajasthan Cricket Association. The venue has hosted international matches and IPL teams before, with BCCI expected to confirm the move soon

New Delhi: The Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune is likely to host a few Rajasthan Royals (RR) home games in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL), sources told IANS on Friday.

IANS had reported in November that RR and defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were in contention to get the venue in Gahunje as their home ground ahead of IPL 2026. RR had even inspected the stadium and conducted an initial recce of nearby facilities. Sources said RR is more likely to get Pune as their home venue, replacing Jaipur, which has been their base since the inception of IPL in 2008.

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“Things are going very close for both MCA and RR to close the deal. Many discussions are going on, so this is likely to be a reality,” sources added.

RR’s decision to move some of their home matches away from the Sawai Mansingh Stadium stems from ongoing disagreements with the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA). Tensions escalated in IPL 2025 when an RCA official levelled match-fixing allegations against the franchise, which they categorically denied while calling for strict action against the individual concerned.

Currently, RCA is run by an ad hoc committee headed by Deen Dayal Kumawat, and the lack of stability is understood to be a major factor in RR playing its home games in Pune.

RR, the IPL 2008 winners, also have another home ground at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.

“It’s like a matter of time now for this announcement to come anytime soon from the BCCI,” said another source tracking the development.

The MCA Stadium in Pune has hosted men’s international matches in all formats, including the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup and the Women’s T20 Challenge. In IPL, it has previously been the home ground for Pune Warriors India, Rising Pune Supergiant, Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings at different times in the 2010s.