BCCI Explains Venue Change for IPL 2026 Final Amid Controversy

Clarification from BCCI on IPL Final Venue

Devajit Saikia, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), addressed the recent controversy surrounding the decision to host the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) final at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. Traditionally, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is designated to host the final on May 31, as per IPL regulations that allocate the final to the home ground of the defending champion. However, this year, Ahmedabad will host the final for the fourth time in five seasons.

BCCI's Explanation

Saikia clarified that Bengaluru was initially slated to host the final, but the request for a large number of complimentary tickets prompted the venue change. According to BCCI rules, only 15% of tickets are allocated as complimentary. However, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) requested 10,000 tickets, which included a significant number for local Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).

"Typically, the defending champions are entitled to host the final and one playoff match at their home ground. Since RCB was the defending champion last year, the final should have been in Bangalore. However, due to recent developments, we had to shift the venue, assigning one match to New Chandigarh and the final to Ahmedabad," Saikia stated during a discussion with a news agency.

He further elaborated that the BCCI had sent an email to the KSCA, expressing surprise at their response. Saikia described the decision to take the final away from Chinnaswamy Stadium as challenging but necessary to adhere to established protocols. "We are obligated to provide only 15% of the total seating capacity as complimentary tickets to the host association. This is standard practice, and all host associations receive this allocation. However, we learned that during IPL matches, the KSCA was claiming a much larger number of complimentary tickets than allowed," he explained.

Saikia noted that the KSCA's email on May 2 revealed their request for a substantial number of additional tickets beyond the 15% quota, including requests for local MLAs and the Karnataka government. This demand amounted to approximately 10,000 extra tickets. "As the BCCI oversees the hosting of playoff and final matches, we cannot breach our protocols by exceeding the permitted ticket allocation. Thus, we had no choice but to relocate the matches from Karnataka," he concluded.