Narendra Modi Government Urged To Stop IPL 2026. Image Credits: ChatGPT
As the IPL 2026 season is reaching its business end of things, the Indian government has been urged to put a pause on the tournament. The suspension call comes amid serious conflict in West Asia.
The IPL 2026 season began on March 28, when the armed conflict between Iran and the USA had just escalated. For two months, the tournament went smoothly, but concerns over its future are now being raised.
Congress politicians urge Narendra Modi to suspend the IPL
Former chief minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to suspend the ongoing IPL 2026 amid concerns over a possible fuel crisis linked to rising tensions involving the US and Iran.
Baghel argued that stopping the IPL would reduce large-scale travel to stadiums, cut fuel consumption, limit foreign currency payments to overseas cricketers, and reduce betting activity associated with the tournament.
“Prime Minister, please stop the IPL immediately. Betting will also stop,” Baghel said.
The statement is largely political and symbolic at this stage. There has been no official indication from the Indian government, BCCI, or IPL authorities that the tournament could actually be suspended. The BJP also had not officially responded when the report was published.
Baghel's statement motivated by fuel crisis
This comes after PM Narendra Modi advised Indian citizens to save fuel and use it wisely, as tensions between the USA and Iran are unlikely to ease anytime soon.
The PM himself shortened his convoy, as many political leaders are opting for a sustainable lifestyle. Apart from this, fuel prices across the country were recently raised by 3 rupees.
In this sense, Bhupesh Baghel’s concerns make sense. Fuel consumption is at its peak in IPL 2026 as logistics are carried out on a large scale to manage 10 teams at different venues.
However, suspension is not the only solution. Within two weeks, the tournament will end, and pausing it at this stage would lead to more financial loss.
IPL 2026 final to be held in Ahmedabad
Meanwhile, the IPL 2026 final will be held on May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru was earlier supposed to host the final, as RCB are the defending champions.
However, the BCCI snatched away Bengaluru’s hosting rights after KSCA were caught arranging a large amount of free tickets for Karnataka MLAs, thus cheating the common fans.
As the practice violated the IPL and BCCI regulations and policies, the IPL 2026 final was shifted from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad.
As for Qualifier 1, Dharamsala will host the big knockout game on May 26. Moreover, Mullanpur in Chandigarh will host the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 games on May 27 and May 29, respectively.
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