The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final will not be hosted at Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) homeground M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium will host the final on May 31.
On May 6, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the dates for playoffs and the final. Dharamsala's Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium will host the Qualifier 1 on May 26, two days after the last league stage match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC).
The Eliminator and Qualifier 2 will be played at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh on May 27 and May 29 respectively.
"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 release said.
4th IPL final in 5 seasons
This is the second consecutive time Ahmedabad will host the IPL final. It had hosted in 2022 and 2023 as well. In last four seasons, Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium is the only other venue for an IPL final. The 2024 edition's final took place in Chennai when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to win their third title.
MLA ticket issue behind Bengaluru losing IPL final hosting rights?
Earlier, it was reported that Bengaluru's M.Chinnaswamy Stadium lost IPL 2026 final hosting rights due to MLA ticket issue despite the convention of defending champions hosting the title clash.
"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 in the media release.
Where were IPL 2025 playoffs played?
The Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator clash were hosted in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. The Qualifier 2 and final were played in Ahmedabad.