Why did BCCI strip Bengaluru of hosting IPL 2026 final?
The IPL 2026 final will take place at Narendra Modi International Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule for the playoffs and final of the Indian Premier League 2026 on Wednesday. Unlike the usual two-venue trend, the playoffs will be played across three different venues this season.
The Qualifier 1 will take place at HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on May 26, where the top two teams will clash for a ticket to the finale.
The Eliminator will be played at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on May 27. The third and fourth-placed teams will clash in that match.
The Qualifier 2 will also take place at the same venue on May 29. The IPL 2026 final is scheduled to be hosted by Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Interestingly, as per the norms, the final is always played at the defending champions’ home stadium.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are the defending champions of the tournament, whose home venue is M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. However, BCCI has stripped Bengaluru of hosting the IPL 2026 final.
Why is BCCI not conducting the IPL 2026 final in Bengaluru?
In an official statement, BCCI informed that Bengaluru was originally scheduled to host the summit clash. However, the governing body changed the venue due to a few requirements from the local authorities that were beyond their protocols.
“Owing to certain operational and logistical considerations, the TATA IPL 2026 Playoffs will be conducted across three venues this season as a special case,” the BCCI said in an official statement.
“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 statement further added.
Meanwhile, the IPL 2026 schedule was released by BCCI in three phases due to elections in a few states. At the start, the schedule for the first 20 games was released. The schedule for the remaining league games was released later, and at last the playoffs schedule was announced on May 6.
When and where will the IPL 2026 final take place?
The encounter will take place at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31.
Why did BCCI strip Bengaluru of hosting the IPL 2026 final?
The governing body stripped Bengaluru of hosting the IPL 2026 final due to certain requirements from the local authorities that were beyond their guidelines and protocols.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.