ICC meeting, bigger capacity: Why Ahmedabad landed IPL 2026 final over Bengaluru

A big reason why Ahmedabad is hosting the IPL 2026 final on May 31, and not Bengaluru or any other city, as the city is set to host a key meeting of the International Cricket Council in the city around that time, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has revealed to TOI.

"An important meeting of the International Cricket Council is scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad around the time of the final. That meeting was originally supposed to be held in Doha, Qatar from March 25-27, but has been postponed in the wake of the ongoing conflict involving US, Israel and Iran. All the foreign delegates will be present in Ahmedabad during that time. The meeting will run concurrently with the IPL final," Saikia told TOI on Friday.

Saikia also clarified that "logistical and weather issues," apart from maximising the BCCI's revenues through the ticket sales, were important factors that went into the decision to stage the IPL final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. "In terms of logistics and facilities, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is possibly the best in India. The venue can hold 1,32,000 spectators, which help the BCCI in maximising its revenue generation from ticket sales in the final. In comparison, Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium has a capacity of only around 32,000 fans. Please remember that unlike the league matches in the IPL, which are organized by the state associations in partnership with the BCCI, the conduct of the playoffs and the final is solely the responsibility of the BCCI," Sakia said.

"We were contemplating if the other venues in India could also stage a playoff match, but then the likelihood of pre-monsoon showers looms large at that time (May-end), and that factor discouraged us. So, the weather pattern also plays a big role in scheduling this important fixture. Ahmedabad is the most convenient, comfortable venue to stage the IPL final at that time of the year," the BCCI secretary stressed. There have been allegations that the BCCI has taken the IPL final out of Bengaluru as it is a Congress-ruled state.

However, another source in the BCCI pointed out that Punjab (New Chandigarh) and Himachal Pradesh (Dharamshala), which are ruled by opposition parties, have been allotted three playoff matches, one more than the stipulated number. Dharamshala will stage Qualifier 1 on May 26, while New Chandigarh will stage the Eliminator (on May 27) and Qualifier 2 (on May 29). "In fact, both these states have been given an extra game. As per convention, the venue of the final final venue should host a playoff game too.