The IPL 2026 has reached its final stages, with all teams playing 9 or 10 of their 14 league matches. While the schedule for the league stage of the tournament had been announced way earlier, the dates and venues for the playoff stages were yet to be announced. With Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) being the defending champions, it was expected that their home ground of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will host the final. However, the BCCI has announced that it will be the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad that will host the summit clash on May 31 (Sunday). In fact none of the playoffs will be held in Bengaluru.
The BCCI has announced that theIPL 2026playoffs will be held in Ahmedabad. On the other hand, Qualifier 1 will be held at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala, while the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 will be held in the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Stadium in New Chandigarh.
In their official statement, the BCCI informed that Bengaluru was originally supposed to host the final. However, due to 'requirements from local association and authorities' beyond their control, they had to force the move to another venue.
"Owing to certain operational and logistical considerations, IPL 2026 Playoffs will be conducted across three venues this season as a special case. Bengaluru was originally designated to host the Final. However, owing to certain requirements from the local association and authorities that were beyond the scope of BCCI's established guidelines and protocols, the venue has been shifted and reassigned," the BCCI said.
However, the reason for this shift is definitely the Karnataka government's decision to make complimentary tickets mandatory for all MLAs.
Ahead of the IPL 2026 opener between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad, Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar demanded five IPL tickets for every MLA, saying that the elected representatives are VIPs and should not stand in line to get the tickets
Following the request, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that three tickets for RCB matches will be provided to the MLAs and MPs. However, it was confirmed that the tickets were non-transferable, and only the MLAs or their family members can attend the matches. A BCCI source confirmed that the MLA ticket issue is a big hindrance, and if things don't work out, they'll have to move the final to another venue.
"Last time the winner should get to host the final, but the whole MLA tickets issue is getting out of control in Bengaluru, and if it doesn’t come to a mid-point, then BCCI will move the final to another venue," the BCCI source was quoted as saying by ANI.
Qualifier 1 – May 26 – HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala
Eliminator – May 27 – New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
