With Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking pride of place as the reigning champions, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has been designed to host the spectacular affair. | Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
Cricket fans in Bengaluru were left heartbroken on Wednesday as it was announced that the city will lose out on hosting the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) final.
With Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking pride of place as the reigning champions, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has been designed to host the spectacular affair. But in a surprise development, the IPL’s media advisor explained that the match would be shifted to Ahmedabad due to “certain demands from the local association and authorities which were outside the scope of BCCI’s established guidelines and protocols”.
Off the playoff schedule
Bengaluru has also been dropped from the playoff schedule altogether, with Dharamshala and New Chandigarh hosting the Qualifier 1, Qualifier 2 and Eliminator respectively. Before the start of the season, the Karnataka State Cricket Association was confident that Bengaluru would be allotted Qualifier 2 matches along with the final.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar dismissed speculation that Bengaluru was sidelined as MLAs demanded match passes. “Ahmedabad has a big stadium and more people can attend it – that must be the reason why the IPL final was shifted there. There is no connection between the distribution of MLA tickets and the shifting of the final match,” Mr Shivakumar said.
Former Karnataka cricketer Anand Katti expressed his disappointment over the change of venue. “It is very unfortunate. I believe the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has the best crowd and energy. Even the players like to play here. A lot of effort has been put in to bring the IPL matches to Bengaluru. It would be ideal to have the final here as well,” Mr Katti said.
Why always Ahmedabad?
The decision to shift the IPL final from the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to the Narendra Modi Stadium drew strong reactions from Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans, many of whom questioned why Ahmedabad was chosen. While some fans argued that the shifting of the final was understandable given the concerns after last year’s stampede and the limited capacity of the Chinnaswamy Stadium, many criticized the BCCI, claiming that major IPL matches are repeatedly shifted to Ahmedabad.
It may be recalled that last year too, the IPL 2025 final was shifted from Kolkata, the home ground of the then champions Kolkata Knight Riders, to Ahmedabad.
IT consultant and RCB fan Sameer M. Havanoor, who attended the league match between RCB and Sun Risers Hyderabad in the city, called it a big miss. Mr Havanoor said the new measures at the stadium to ensure the safety of fans had passed, adding that these protocols could be used in the final.
“The league stage matches were organized smoothly. There was a heavy police presence and there were big hoardings everywhere to educate the public about the new measures. The stadium is well equipped to host the final. It is disappointing, especially when RCB is doing well and could make it to the final,” Mr Havanoor said.
Rahul Kumar, another RCB fan, said BCCI should explain the decision clearly. “BCCI should write an apology message to the fans and give the reason why Chinnaswamy lost the right to host. Why is it always Ahmedabad? IPL fans should boycott it,” he said.
(With additional input from Rishit Khanna)
Published – 06 May 2026 22:10 IST
