The Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman, Arun Dhumal, has indicated that uncertainty surrounding the administration of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) could force the IPL and Rajasthan Royals (RR) to look beyond Jaipur for the latter’s home matches in the 2026 season, with Pune emerging as a strong alternative.
Dhumal made it clear that the BCCI had already warned the RCA last year that failure to conduct elections would jeopardise the state’s ability to host IPL matches. “We had already communicated to the RCA last year that, in case you are not able to organise these elections, it would be difficult for us to conduct the tournament there,” Dhumal said after Tuesday night’s IPL Auction in Abu Dhabi.
“As of now, that has not happened, so until and unless they conduct those elections and a new elected body comes in and the facility is good enough to take care of IPL games, we will watch the situation and take the right action in due course.”
The RCA has been in administrative limbo, with two rival factions claiming legitimacy. As a result, the association has been run by an ad-hoc committee appointed by the BCCI in consultation with the Rajasthan State government, further complicating venue clearances.
With Jaipur’s status uncertain, RR has already inspected the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium on the outskirts of Pune. Having previou sly hosted IPL matches, including Playoffs earlier, Pune could end up being the Royals’ base for IPL 2026.
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On Bengaluru’s situation, Dhumal struck a more optimistic note. The city has not hosted a major cricket match since a fatal stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium last June, which led to heightened scrutiny of crowd management and infrastructure.
“I have had a word with the officials from the KSCA. They are in touch with the state government. They have had a fruitful meeting and we are very positive that we will get Bengaluru as the venue,” Dhumal said.
While no formal decision has been announced, the signals from the IPL chairman suggest that unless the RCA resolves its administrative issues swiftly, RR may once again be forced to operate away from its traditional home base.
Published on Dec 18, 2025
