The IPL final will return to Ahmedabad for a second year running, the BCCI confirming in the early hours of Wednesday that the Narendra Modi Stadium will stage the 31 May showpiece rather than the M. Chinnaswamy in Bengaluru.
“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 board said. The short statement was light on detail, yet firm enough to close the door on any late lobbying from Bengaluru officials.
Play-off week is now spread across three grounds. Qualifier 1 goes to the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on 26 May, while the brand-new International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh hosts both the Eliminator (27 May) and Qualifier 2 (29 May). Announcing the reshuffle, the board added: “Owing to certain operational and logistical considerations, the TATA IPL 2026 Play-offs will be conducted across three venues this season as a special case.”
The change removes any home-final advantage for defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Their record at the Chinnaswamy—four wins in five group matches—has underpinned a solid campaign, but a title tilt, should it come, will now run through two northern venues before heading west to Gujarat.
Why the late move? Administrators in both camps are privately blaming conflicting security requests and match-day permissions. One senior state-association official, unwilling to be named, described the last 48 hours as “a paperwork tug-of-war no one could win”. In the end, the BCCI opted for the least complicated solution: go somewhere else.
Traditionally, the winner of Qualifier 2 stays put for the final, yet this season both finalists will travel. The tweak looks minor on paper, yet coaches may fret over the extra flight and the short turnaround—especially if late-night finishes in New Chandigarh bleed into practice days in Ahmedabad’s dry May heat.
On the cricketing front, Punjab Kings top the table on 13 points, with Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers all bunched on 12. Chennai Super Kings sit two adrift but remain in striking distance after Tuesday’s tight win over Delhi Capitals.
RCB captain Faf du Plessis kept the news at arm’s length when asked post-training. “We’ve enjoyed the crowds in Bengaluru, but you win titles by adapting quickly,” he said. “If that means a flight to Dharamsala and then Ahmedabad, so be it.”
HPCA curator Sunil Chauhan was more upbeat. “Qualifier 1 will be the biggest match Dharamsala has hosted in years,” he noted, promising “a quick surface with pace for the seamers and value for shots.”
Ground staff in Ahmedabad have already begun re-painting sponsor logos. The stadium, with its 132,000-seat bowl, delivered slick finals in 2024 and 2025 and rarely turns down the chance for another global broadcast day. “It’s a stadium built for big nights,” former India coach Ravi Shastri said on commentary last year, and few across the circuit would argue.
For now, teams will park the logistics chat and chase those remaining league points. Come the end of May, though, everyone—players, broadcasters, fans—will re-pack their bags for a cross-country sprint that ends, once again, in the Gujarat heat.
