IPL 2025: Ahmedabad to host final on June 3, says report

According to a Cricbuzz report, Ahmedabad will also play host to Qualifier 2 on June 1, while Mullanpur in New Chandigarh is expected to host the first two playoff games--Qualifier 1 on May 29 and the Eliminator on May 30. The decision is said to have been taken after following a series of high-level meetings conducted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

These scheduling and venue changes were implemented primarily due to the onset of the rainy season and the recent one-week suspension of the tournament amid heightened cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan.

The league was temporarily suspended on May 9 and resumed only on May 17. The final, originally scheduled for May 25, was consequently pushed back by over a week to June 3.

This will potentially be the third time that the Narendra Modi Stadium, the world's largest cricket arena, will host an IPL final. The iconic ground previously hosted the finals in 2022 and 2023. Notably, during Gujarat Titans' debut season in 2022, Ahmedabad was limited to just two matches owing to COVID-19 protocols--those two being Qualifier 2 and the final. The Titans won the title that year, and the venue retained the final in 2023.

With monsoon patterns impacting several parts of the country in late May, the board opted for cities with historically drier climates to ensure uninterrupted knockout matches.

As of now, three teams have confirmed their places in the playoffs: Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Punjab Kings. The final spot remains up for grabs, with Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals locked in a close fight for qualification.