The Sawai Mansingh Stadium has been ruled out after it failed to comply with the mandatory evacuation and safety standards required to host IPL matches. Due to the lack of approval, the location has been removed from the schedule.
As a result, Rajasthan Royals’ eight home matches will be split between Pune and Guwahati. The Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati has already hosted a number of RR home matches in the past few seasons and will continue to act as a secondary base.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India has also linked Jaipur’s exclusion to the long-standing governance mess within the Rajasthan Cricket Association. The board has made it clear that no competitions can be held without a properly elected state body.
The RCA has been run by ad hoc committees for almost two years. The current panel, headed by DD Kumawat, has failed to hold elections despite repeated reminders, leaving the association in administrative limbo.
Relations between Rajasthan Royals and the RCA are also tense. In a previous IPL season, a then ad hoc convener, Jaydeep Bihani, claimed that an RR match against Lucknow Super Giants was “fixed”, a claim that was vehemently denied by the franchise and dismissed by senior BCCI officials.
With Jaipur eliminated, Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium will return to the IPL after hosting the final matches in 2022. The venue was previously home to Rising Pune Supergiants and is considered well-equipped to meet league standards.
The move highlights how off-field issues can directly impact hosting rights in the IPL. Until elections are held and security issues are resolved, Jaipur is unlikely to return to the IPL calendar.
The development comes amid wider concerns about its location in the competition. Earlier reports suggested that Royal Challengers Bengaluru had explored alternative venues due to security concerns at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, although the Karnataka association remains hopeful of retaining matches.
For now, Rajasthan Royals will begin a new chapter away from their traditional homeland with Pune and Guwahati set to host the franchise in IPL 2026.
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