BCCI on IPL 2026 Final Venue Change: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia has clarified the decision to shift the IPL 2026 final to Ahmedabad. The title decider was earlier scheduled to be held in Bengaluru as the RCB were defending champions. With the latest change, the final will now take place in Ahmedabad, which has led to discussions around the venue shift.
This is the second straight year that the IPL final has been moved to Ahmedabad. Last season, too, the final was shifted from Kolkata to Ahmedabad by the IPL governing body.
Why BCCI shifted the venue for IPL 2026 final
A day after the announcement, Saikia explained that as per IPL rules, the host association is entitled to 15% of the stadium’s total capacity as complimentary tickets, and this is a standard policy followed at all venues.
However, during league matches in Karnataka, concerns were reportedly raised that the state association had been seeking more than the permitted 15% quota, which led to further discussions around compliance with IPL regulations.
"As per standard IPL policy, the host association is allowed to receive 15% of the stadium’s total capacity as complimentary tickets. This is the fixed rule followed across all venues. But during league matches in Karnataka, concerns were raised that the state association was asking for more than the permitted 15% quota.
Following this, the BCCI sent an email asking for clarification. On May 2, the Karnataka State Cricket Association responded, stating that apart from the 15% free ticket quota, they were seeking a much larger number of additional tickets for members, affiliated clubs, and others. They also requested tickets for MLAs, MLCs, and even the Karnataka state government, including around 700 complimentary passes.
In total, this meant a demand of nearly 10,000 extra tickets beyond the allowed quota. Since the BCCI is responsible for hosting the playoffs and final, it cannot go beyond the established rules regarding the 15% complimentary allocation.
Because of this situation and the inability to accommodate the additional demand, the decision was ultimately taken to shift the playoff matches out of Karnataka” Saikia told ANI.
IPL 2026 Playoffs and Final Venue and Schedule
| Stage | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifier 1 | May 26 | HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala |
| Eliminator | May 27 | New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh |
| Qualifier 2 | May 29 | New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh |
| Final | May 31 | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |