Rajasthan Royals Edge Closer to Pune Shift

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) are getting close to moving their home games outside of Jaipur despite the continued disagreements between the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) and the IPL franchise.

For the 2026 season of the lucrative competition, Rajasthan Royals appears to have decided to play at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune rather than their old home venue at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

Prior to this development, Royal Challengers Bengaluru was also vying to play at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in Pune. Since RCB’s victory parade turned stampede incident, which claimed the lives of eleven citizens, the Chinnaswamy has been suspended and is still awaiting security procedures.

However, according to the FPJ, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur is also facing similar security issues as a result of its noncompliance with safety evacuation protocols. Additionally, the venue’s management, RCA, is in disarray and has not appointed any administrators in spite of court orders requesting that they do so.

In 2012, the now-defunct Pune Warriors India and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) played their maiden IPL match at the site. The location served as the home field for PWI’s home games for the following two seasons before Rising Pune Supergiants, another now-defunct team, moved in permanently.

After the DY Patil in Navi Mumbai and Mumbai’s Wankhede and Brabourne, the ground became the fourth location in the state to host an IPL match. When the Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad faced off in a league stage encounter during the 2022 season, it hosted its final IPL match.

What is the IPL record at Pune’s MCA Stadium?