The Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is underway and the 19th edition of the league is nearing its 50th match of the campaign. Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Governing Council have announced the venues for the playoffs and finals of IPL 2026.
The matches will be held in Dharamshala, New Chandigarh (Mullanpur) and Ahmedabad. The BCCI has indicated that, due to operational and logistical factors, the playoffs will be held at three venues “as a special case”. Earlier, it was reported that the final would be hosted by the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), at their home ground M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
KSCA expressed disappointment – KSCA statement after change in the venue of IPL final
However, in the course of events, Narendra Modi Stadium Ready to host the final once again. After this decision, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has expressed disappointment over the change in decision on the part of BCCI and the management committee. KSCA President Venkatesh Prasad was in talks with BCCI in this regard and had also formally indicated KSCA’s willingness to host the playoffs.
KSCA statement after the venue change, “First of all, KSCA expressed its disappointment that the IPL playoff matches have been allotted to other centres. KSCA President and legendary Indian cricketer Venkatesh Prasad was personally in touch with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in this regard and formally conveyed KSCA’s preparedness, willingness and keen interest to host the IPL playoffs at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.”
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The specific reasons for this have not been formally communicated – KSCA
“The IPL matches held in Bengaluru during the current season were widely appreciated for their smooth execution, crowd management, operational efficiency and overall spectator experience, reaffirming KSCA’s ability to successfully host major events of such scale and importance.”
“Despite our preparations and willingness to host the playoffs, we understand that the BCCI has decided to allocate these matches to other venues. Although the specific reasons for this have not been formally communicated to KSCA, we fully respect the BCCI’s prerogative and decision-making authority in this regard.”
IPL final in Ahmedabad
Qualifier 1 will be held in HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, between the top two teams of the group stage of the points table. The winner will advance directly to the finals. The eliminator will be held in New Chandigarh, where the third and fourth placed teams will compete.
The winner of the Eliminator and the loser of Qualifier 1 will compete in Qualifier 2, which will be held at the same venue. The final will be held at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
In the previous season, the playoffs were held at two venues, with New Chandigarh hosting Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator, and Ahmedabad hosting Qualifier 2 and the final. The final league game of this season, which is between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC), will be played on May 24, two days before Qualifier 1.
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