Jay Shah for IPL DK Shivakumar for Karnataka Government. Image Credits: AFP/X
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is considered the holy grail of cricket in India, with every state association and venue vying to host matches. But so is not the case this season (IPL 2026).
Traditionally, the host venue for the defending team gets the honour to host the IPL final in the following season. However, it looked unlikely for Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium after the horrific stampede last season, which led to the stadium being shut for nearly one year.
To bring cricket back to the venue, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) worked closely with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise and the state government. As a result, they earned the right to host five of RCB's home games.
Reportedly, Bengaluru was allotted to host two playoff games as well, but when the IPL announced the schedule for the playoffs on Wednesday, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium's name as a host was missing.
BCCI hints at political drama in Karnataka
As per the IPL 2026 playoffs schedule, Dharamshala will host the Qualifier 1, followed by New Chandigarh hosting Eliminator & Qualifier 2. The summit clash of the IPL 2026 will again be played at the illustrious Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
As the BCCI announced the schedule in a press release, the board also hinted at a political angle behind the drama that forced the the playoffs out of Bengaluru.
“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 press release mentioned.
Karnataka's DY CM issues statement after BCCI's call
After the BCCI revealed the schedule for the playoffs, where Bengaluru was robbed from the rights to host the playoffs, especially the big final, Karnataka's Deputy CM, D. K. Shivakumar issued a statement.
According to the top dignitary, the Indian board's decision has nothing to do with the "VIP-ticket demands".
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"BCCI’s decision has got nothing to do with VIP-ticket demands by Karnataka politicians. It could be due to a bigger stadium in Ahmedabad," DK Shivakumar stated while talking to TOI.
What's the political drama in Karnataka?
It is worth noting that earlier in March, the Deputy CM D. K. Shivakumar had categorically stated that each of the MLAs will get three complimentary tickets for an IPL game, while two passes will be alloted for for an international match.
“I spoke to RCB representatives and KSCA officials. It has been agreed that legislators will be given three free tickets. Any MLA who does not wish to avail them can submit a letter. I am aware of how many tickets are allotted in other states. KSCA has also said that for international matches, two tickets will be given per MLA, and two more can be purchased,” the Deputy CM had stated.
The statement from the dignitary caused a major controversy with the BCCI, who started to think about alternative ways, as reported earlier.
Meanwhile, the Congress leader also mentioned that all the demands of both the parties cannot be met. Furthermore, he figuratively stated officials in other states get about 50-60% of tickets.
"Not all demands can be fulfilled. We had a discussion and arrived at this decision based on the situation," D. K. Shivakumar had said.
"I also spoke with officials from Rajasthan, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Gujarat — about 50-60% of tickets there are distributed to government officials and related groups. Compared to them, our level of interference is far less."
Who gets to host IPL final?
Traditionally, the defending champions get the right to host the final the following season. However, the custom changed in IPL 2022 when the country was going through the third wave of the hazardous Coronavirus-19. Since then, all IPL finals have been hosted at Ahmedabad’s 1,20,000-seater stadium.
However, IPL 2026 was scheduled to bring back the old tradition with Bengaluru getting the right, but it was denied due to certain “operational and logistical considerations".
IPL 2026 final will be played on May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
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