The IPL 2026 is just around the corner, and another concern has come up for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. As per reports, when the CEO of RCB, Rajesh Menon, announced in the press conference that the ticket sales would go live at 4 pm. Soon, the clock came to 4 pm, and the page views on their platform skyrocketed. The tickets for the opening match of the IPL 2026 between Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad were sold in just 4 minutes.
Fans are all set to return to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, but the main question arises: Is the stadium ready?
As per ESPNcricinfo, the playing area was pristine, and the pitch was well-tended as SRH were having their training session next to the square.
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In addition, on Wednesday evening, the stadium was looking like a construction site with sheets of plywood at the main entrance, and areas were still under preparation. Also, no area had been left untouched, and none of them were fully ready, around the stadium.
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All the carpenters, contractors, masons, and vendors were working and were racing against time to prepare the stadium for the opening match of IPL 2026 on March 28.
Moreover, on the side of the stadium, there is Cubbon road, which was used as a temporary walkway, and is the new concourse area for fans’ entry and exit. There are also walls and gates that are still waiting for the paint to be done.
One worker said, ” We haven’t slept for four days.” Also, as per espncricinfo, Venkatesh Prasad, who looked upon the crises when he took over as the KSCA president in December, says he hasn’t had a full night’s sleep for a couple of months. As per reports, the deadline for completing the work was March 15, but it’s still pending.
On Wednesday evening, fans were circling the stadium, searching for the box office for the tickets, but they were nowhere to be seen. It shows that the situation is more controlled than before. The stadium was under construction after the sun had set, with special police permission to ensure that the stadium is fully ready for Saturday.
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The primary focus for the government was on logistics and safety for the fans. According to the situation, the work is far from over, but the hope is that the entire system will be in order by March 28, and fans can pack the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium once again.
RCB Honours the 11 Lives of Fans
RCB has announced that there will be 11 permanently reserved seats in the stadium, and players will wear jersey number 11 during all practice sessions this season. This announcement was confirmed by Rajesh Menon, CEO of RCB, and Mo Babat, Director of cricket, on Tuesday, March 24.
Menon said: “All the players will have jersey No.11 on their back; not for the game, but for the practice.
“Apart from that, they will also be wearing black armbands on that day. We are also looking at having 11 permanent seats in Chinnaswamy Stadium forever. This is for the 11 fans who will be with us forever.”
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In addition, he also thanked the Karnataka government and said, “I would like to thank the Karnataka state government, the CM, DCM, HM, Commissioner, and Joint Commissioner. We have an SOP from the Karnataka High Court which we have to follow with KSCA, RCB, and DNA under the guidance of the Karnataka state police.”