The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Wednesday, May 6, announced the venues for the playoffs and final of the Indian Premier League (IPL), with Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium notably absent from the list.
BCCI honorary secretary Devajit Saikia said Bengaluru had originally been earmarked to host the final, in keeping with the convention of awarding the summit clash to the home ground of the reigning champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). However, the venue was shifted due to “certain requirements from the local association and authorities that were beyond the scope of BCCI’s established guidelines and protocols.”
The decision comes nearly 10 months after the June 4, 2025 stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium, which left 11 people dead and 56 injured. Following the incident, the stadium remained closed to spectators until March 28, 2026. During that period, it hosted the K Thimmappiah Memorial Trophy behind closed doors, while the RCB women’s team played their Women’s Premier League fixtures at alternate venues in Mumbai and Vadodara.
“It is always the prerogative of the BCCI. So the state association would not have any right to host any of the playoff matches,” Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) spokesperson Vinay Mruthyunjaya said.
Vinay added that despite the challenges following the stampede, the stadium had successfully conducted five IPL matches. He said the KSCA had sent the BCCI “a very detailed mail” outlining the arrangements and execution of those games, while also expressing the venue’s readiness to host the playoffs and final.
“There has been no official communication stating why the matches are not being hosted at Chinnaswamy Stadium. So we don't have any official information as of now,” he said.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar dismissed claims that the venue shift was linked to demands from legislators for complimentary passes, reportedly worth around Rs 900 each per match. Instead, he said the decision was likely influenced by Ahmedabad’s larger stadium capacity.
“The IPL final must have been shifted with the intention that there is a big stadium in Ahmedabad and more people will gather. It has nothing to do with the distribution of tickets to MLAs or the shifting of the final match,” he said.
The first qualifier will now be hosted at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, while the eliminator and second qualifier will take place at the New International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. The final will be held at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium for the second consecutive year.
This article was written by a student interning with TNM.