The Ranji Trophy final, set for 24 February, will be played at Hubballi’s KSCA Stadium rather than at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy, the Karnataka State Cricket Association confirmed on Thursday.
KSCA officials had the choice of staging Karnataka v Jammu & Kashmir in either city. In the end, construction work at Chinnaswamy tipped the balance. An association spokesperson explained the reasoning in plain terms. “Several spectator gates and access points are currently being dismantled and widened, along with other critical improvement works,” the spokesperson said. “In view of these ongoing developments, it would not have been feasible to ensure the high-quality match-viewing experience and spectator convenience a marquee fixture such as a Ranji final deserves.”
The timing is slightly unfortunate for the ground. Chinnaswamy recently received the last of its state-government clearances, yet the safety committee’s list of upgrades—mostly crowd-flow and emergency-exit tweaks—still requires a few weeks of heavy machinery and restricted areas. With only a handful of days between the semi-finals and the decider, KSCA administrators felt it wiser to move rather than compromise.
Karnataka, eight-time champions, are chasing a first title since 2014-15. They sealed their place in Lucknow on Thursday, edging debutants Uttarakhand on first-innings lead. Senior batter Mayank Agarwal described the feeling in the dressing-room as “quietly confident”, adding that familiarity with Hubballi’s pitch “should help us settle quickly”.
Opponents Jammu & Kashmir are writing a very different story. Sixty-seven years after joining the competition, they have reached a maiden final, having overturned Bengal in Kalyani despite conceding the first-innings advantage. Head coach Milap Mandiwal called the journey “surreal but fully deserved”, praising his bowlers’ ability to “find life on flat surfaces”.
History remains lopsided: Karnataka have won all four previous meetings, the latest in Chennai two seasons ago. Yet form across this campaign has suggested J&K are more resilient than ever. Medium-pacer Umar Nazir, joint-leading wicket-taker in the knockouts, believes the neutral venue “keeps things open”.
Hubballi has hosted only one Ranji match this season—Karnataka’s 185-run win over Chandigarh—but players from both squads have appeared there in domestic T20s. The surface generally offers early seam and then flattens, though late-season heat can crack the top, bringing spinners into play.
Tickets are expected to go on sale early next week once revised seating maps are finalised. KSCA sources indicate entry prices will mirror those originally planned for Bengaluru.
