The lack of clarity over the Rajasthan Royals’ home venue has resulted in the BCCI postponing the confirmation of the final schedule for IPL 2026. The Rajasthan Royals State Sports Council dismissed most of the safety concerns raised by the Tata Projects audit report.
The Rajasthan Royals did not have the best of outings in IPL 2025, when they were quite unsure over having handed their captaincy to Sanju Samson or Riyan Parag. While the skipper was ruled out on several occasions, Riyan Parag stepped in as his full-time replacement.
After Sanju Samson was released ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction, the Rajasthan Royals need a new face for the upcoming season. Riyan Parag was up for contention and grabbed the spot, leaving behind the likes of veteran Ravindra Jadeja and fellow youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal.
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BCCI raised concerns on Rajasthan Royals’ venue preparedness
Ahead of the IPL 2026, the venue remains yet to be announced. One of the central reasons is the home venue for the Rajasthan Royals matches in the upcoming edition of the tournament. The problem came to notice after the franchise sought an indemnity waiver from the state government to host matches at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
The concerns were raised by a private audit firm, while the BCCI has raised concerns over venue preparedness. According to a PTI Report, the Rajasthan State Sports Council (RSSC) had dismissed every concern that came up in the 700-page audit report submitted by Tata Projects. The Sawai Mansingh has been rated as the worst stadium in terms of fan experience.
These measures were adopted when the massive stampede occurred at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. RCB had won their first title, and they did not pay off well in their victory parade. The report supported by RSSC was reviewed by the PWD department, which conducted a 10-day assessment and concluded that it needed nothing more than minor repair work and claimed that the stadium was ready to host IPL matches.
BCCI revealed that the Sawai Mansingh Stadium lags behind IPL venues
A BCCI source went on to reveal a massive thing about the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. “Unfortunately SMS stadium significantly lags behind other IPL venues on modern facilities and overall fan experience,” he revealed to Hindustan Times.
The source added, “safety and security protocols, fan experience and overall comfort of people, family coming to watch matches at SMS stadium, are paramount to IPL and are non-negotiable.”
The BCCI source revealed that the RSSC warned them last year on the board that the board was granted special permission in the absence of a functioning RCA. The audit was conducted in accordance with central government standards, which considers the National Building Code, the National Electric Code, the Fire Code, and the Safety Code for Sports Grounds.
MCA approached by RR
After the reports had revealed that there have been severe deficiencies in life safety, statutory compilance and Structural integrity, which shed light on the drawbacks of the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, the Maharashtra Cricket Association approached them, agreeing to host their games.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru would also be shifting their venues out of Bangalore. Hence, the Rajasthan Royals might also consider hosting their matches in the MCA Stadium; however, the Rajasthan State Cricket Association also needs to give the green signal on the issue.
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