No Official Word on IPL 2026 Final Shift from Bengaluru: KSCA

Although Bengaluru was initially designated to host the IPL 2026 final, the IPL on Wednesday announced the playoff schedule for the ongoing season and confirmed that the title clash on May 31 will now be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Speaking to ANI, Vinay Mruthyunjaya said there has been no official explanation for shifting the IPL 2026 final away from M Chinnaswamy Stadium. He added that the decision lies with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and should be respected, even though no formal communication has been received regarding the change.

"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. But of course it's a prerogative of the BCCI, and I like to respect the decision what BCCI has taken," Mruthyunjaya told ANI.

Vinay Mruthyunjaya said that the decision to host IPL playoff matches lies solely with the BCCI, and state associations do not have control over it. He pointed out that while it is customary for the previous season's champion's home venue to host the final, there were concerns over M Chinnaswamy Stadium following the June 4, 2025, stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's title celebrations, in which 11 people lost their lives.

"It is always the prerogative of the BCCI. So, the state association would not have any right to host any of the play-off matches. But of course, there has been a convention that whoever had been the winner in the previous edition, generally at that location, they would have the matches. And as you know right from the start, there were some challenges at Chinnaswamy Stadium for the conduct of the matches because of the incident which had happened on June 4th," he said.

He added that despite the challenges, the KSCA successfully hosted five matches for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2026 season and has already shared a detailed report with the BCCI on how the games were conducted. The association also stated that it had expressed readiness to host the IPL 2026 playoffs and final at Bengaluru, but later learned that the matches had been shifted away from the city.

"In spite of many challenges, we conducted five matches very successfully for the RCB franchise. And also to the BCCI, we have sent a very detailed mail giving all the details of the conduct of all five matches. And also we have told them how the matches have gone through, and we also expressed our preparedness that we'll be ready to host the playoff and final matches. But today, we got to know that the matches are not going to be played at Bangalore," the KSCA spokesperson said.

IPL, in its statement, said that although Bengaluru was initially scheduled to host the final, the venue was later changed due to certain conditions raised by the local association and authorities that did not align with the BCCI's established guidelines and protocols.

"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," says the IPL statement.

The IPL 2026 Qualifier 1, featuring the top two teams in the standings, will be played on May 26 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala.

The action will then move to the New International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, which will host the Eliminator on May 27.

The same venue will also stage Qualifier 2 on May 29, where the loser of Qualifier 1 will face the winner of the Eliminator to determine the second finalist.

The season will conclude with the final on May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

- ANI