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The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) may soon find a new home ground for themselves after a new cricket stadium in Bengaluru was announced recently.
The new stadium lies on the outskirts of the city in Anekal near the Bannerghatta National Park. It has been planned as a joint venture between the Karnataka State Government and the Karnataka Housing Board.
The stadium is planned to be the second largest in the world, with an 80,000-seating capacity, just under the 90,000 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Controversies at RCB's home
RCB's old home at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium has been embroiled in one controversy after another since last year.
In 2025, RCB won the IPL trophy for the first time and held a victory parade at their home base. 11 people died in a stampede outside the stadium during the celebrations.
Following that stampede, all cricket activities at the stadium were stopped. An investigation team formed by the government determined that the stadium was unsafe for large gatherings and ultimately shut it down from hosting matches in the near future.
This meant that the KSCA's flagship tournament - the Maharaja T20 Trophy - was shifted to Mysuru. The Chinnaswamy Stadium also lost hosting rights to the Women's ODI World Cup and the Men's T20 World Cup held in India within the last year.
There were barely any matches held at this stadium during the Indian domestic season either.
The government eventually granted clearance for the stadium to host matches in IPL 2026. But even then, the ground only hosted five of RCB's seven home matches, with the other two going to Raipur.
In April, the stadium once again erupted in controversy. Legislators from the Karnataka State Government said that they and their families should receive reserved tickets for any matches happening in the stadium, IPL, or international. This demand was part of the reason the BCCI was forced to shift the IPL 2026 final to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
₹943 Crore invested in New Stadium
The yet unnamed stadium is being built on a reported budget of ₹943 Crores. It will be located in the Suryanagar village of Anekal taluk in the Bengaluru Urban district.
The project is reportedly being completed within the next few years. Reports suggest that it will eventually be christened with the name of a former Karnataka politician.
The government has previously said that the stadium will be funded via the Karnataka Housing Board and will not directly use taxpayer money.
Karnataka CM lays foundation stone for the project
Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, laid the foundation stone for the project while being accompanied by his deputy, DK Shivakumar.
There have been some concerns about the location of the stadium, especially since there is no Metro connectivity to the area, and rising land prices in the vicinity.
The stadium is also very close to the Bannerghatta National Park, which is an eco-sensitive area most famous for the zoo. The environmental concerns are currently a court case as well.
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