Why Bengaluru lost IPL 2026 final hosting rights to Ahmedabad

The BCCI’s decision to move the IPL 2026 final from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad may have surprised many, particularly with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru originally in line to host the summit clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

In an official media advisory released on Tuesday, the BCCI confirmed that Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium would host the IPL 2026 final on May 31, despite Bengaluru initially being designated as the venue.

Operational and Logistical Reasons for Shift

“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,” the advisory stated.

As reported by The Timesofindia.com earlier today, it is understood that the ongoing administrative mess regarding the tickets at the Chinnaswamy Stadium forced the board to shift the title clash back to the venue that hosted the 2025 edition's final.

The move also means Ahmedabad will host the IPL final for the fourth time in five seasons, having previously staged the title clash in 2022, 2023, 2025 and now 2026.

Interestingly, this is not the first time the traditional ‘defending champions host the final’ convention has been overlooked.

Why Ahmedabad Hosted IPL Finals in 2022 and 2025

After Chennai Super Kings won IPL 2021, there was an expectation that Chennai could host the 2022 final once the tournament returned fully to India after the pandemic disruptions. Instead, the BCCI awarded the playoffs and final to Ahmedabad. However, reports at the time and BCCI scheduling decisions pointed toward a combination of post-COVID logistical planning and crowd capacity.

IPL 2022 was still conducted under significant operational caution following the pandemic. The league phase itself was restricted largely to Maharashtra venues to minimise travel and bio-bubble complications. When the playoff venues were announced, Kolkata hosted Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator, while Ahmedabad hosted Qualifier 2 and the final.

A similar situation unfolded in IPL 2025. After Kolkata Knight Riders lifted the IPL 2024 trophy, Eden Gardens had originally been allotted Qualifier 2 and the final under the usual hosting convention. But the tournament’s temporary suspension following India-Pakistan tensions forced the BCCI to extend the season window from May 25 to June 3, significantly complicating scheduling and logistics.