Big Move Ahead of IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals Shift Home Base from Jaipur to Pune
Rajasthan Royals shift IPL 2026 home games from Jaipur to Pune and Guwahati due to stadium safety issues and RCA governance crisis.
The Sawai Mansingh Stadium has been ruled out after failing mandatory evacuation and safety norms needed to host IPL matches. With no clearance in place, the venue has been dropped from the schedule.
As a result, Rajasthan Royals’ eight home matches will be split between Pune and Guwahati. Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati has already hosted some of RR’s home games in recent seasons and will continue as a secondary base.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India has also linked Jaipur’s exclusion to the long-running governance mess in the Rajasthan Cricket Association. The board has made it clear that matches cannot be held without a properly elected state body.
The RCA has been run by ad-hoc committees for nearly two years. The current panel, led by D.D. Kumawat, has failed to conduct elections despite repeated reminders, leaving the association in administrative limbo.
Relations between Rajasthan Royals and the RCA have also been strained. In a previous IPL season, a then ad-hoc convener, Jaydeep Bihani, alleged that an RR match against Lucknow Super Giants was “fixed,” a claim strongly denied by the franchise and rejected by senior BCCI officials.
With Jaipur out, Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium makes a return to the IPL after last hosting matches in 2022. The venue was earlier the home ground of Rising Pune Supergiants and is considered well-equipped to meet league standards.
The move underlines how off-field issues can directly affect hosting rights in the IPL. Until elections are held and safety concerns are fixed, Jaipur is unlikely to return to the IPL calendar.
The development comes amid wider venue concerns across the league. Earlier reports suggested Royal Challengers Bengaluru had explored alternate venues due to safety worries at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, though the Karnataka association remains hopeful of retaining games.
For now, Rajasthan Royals will begin a new chapter away from their traditional home, with Pune and Guwahati set to host the franchise in IPL 2026.
