A major reason why Ahmedabad is hosting the IPL 2026 final on May 31, and not Bengaluru or any other city, is because the city is scheduled to host an important International Cricket Council meeting in the city around that time, BCCI secretary Devjit Saikia revealed to TOI.“An important meeting of the International Cricket Council is scheduled to take place in Ahmedabad at the time of the final. The meeting was originally scheduled to be held in Doha, Qatar from March 25 to 27, but has been postponed due to the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel and Iran. All foreign delegates will be present in Ahmedabad during this time.” The IPL final on Friday will be played by consensus in the meeting with the IPL.
Saikia also clarified that besides maximizing BCCI’s revenue through ticket sales, “logistical and weather issues” were key factors involved in the decision to hold the IPL final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. “In terms of logistics and facilities, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is probably the best in India. The venue can accommodate 1,32,00 fans, which helps the BCCI maximize revenue from ticket sales for the finals. In comparison, the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru has a capacity of only 32,000 fans. Please note that there are only 32,000 fans per match. The IPL, organized by State associations have collaborated with the BCCI, the conduct of the playoffs and finals is solely the responsibility of the BCCI,” said Sakya. “We were considering whether the play-off matches could be held at other venues in India, but then the pre-monsoon rains are very likely at this time (end of May), and that factor discouraged us. Hence, the weather pattern also plays a major role in scheduling this important fixture. Ahmedabad is the easiest and most comfortable place to hold the IPL final at this time of the year,” asserted the BCCI secretary. There have been allegations that the BCCI has moved the IPL final out of Bengaluru as it is a Congress-ruled state. However, another source in the BCCI pointed out that Punjab (New Chandigarh) and Himachal Pradesh (Dharamsala), ruled by opposition parties, have been allotted three play-off matches, one more than the stipulated number. Dharamshala will contest Qualifier 1 on May 26, while New Chandigarh will play the Eliminator (on May 27) and Qualifier 2 (on May 29). “Actually, these two states have been given an extra game. By convention, the venue for the final must also host a playoff game.
