Published on: May 6, 2026 3:08 pm IST|Updated on: May 6, 2026 3:46 pm IST
The BCCI and IPL governing council have made some changes to the final and playoff venues for IPL 2026. The final, which was set to be played at the reigning champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s home turf, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, is now shifted to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad for 31st May. The BCCI released a statement which read,
“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.”
Along with the final, the venues for Qualifier 1, Qualifier 2, and Eliminator have also been shifted. The 1st Qualifier will now be played on May 26 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, whereas the 2nd Qualifier and the Eliminator will take place on May 27 and 29, respectively, at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh.
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The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the world’s largest cricket venue, has become a regular host for the Indian Premier League finals. In fact, the venue will be hosting its fourth IPL final after staging the same in 2022, 2023, 2025, and now in 2026. In the last season, the stadium hosted an epic final that saw two sides who had never won the coveted IPL trophy locking horns. Royal Challengers Bengaluru made it special on that night, defeating the Punjab Kings to claim their first and only IPL title.
The 2022 season was the time when the Gujarat Titans were introduced in the Tata IPL. They won the championship in their maiden season, playing the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad after the stadium was revamped and brought into the IPL as the home venue for the Titans. Being the biggest cricket stadium in the world, the Narendra Modi Stadium hosted its first final in its inaugural year and did the same in the following edition, i.e., in 2023.
As per IPL rules, the defending champions’ home venue is used as the venue to host the opening and final game of the subsequent edition of the tournament. In 2022, the final was initially slated to take place at the 2021 champions Chennai Super Kings’ home venue, the MA Chidambaram Stadium, but it was shifted to Ahmedabad because the BCCI centralized the playoffs across neutral venues due to COVID‑19 bio‑bubble protocols, logistical ease, and the stadium’s massive capacity.
In 2023, GT played as the reigning champions, and the Narendra Modi Stadium got to host the 2023 final played between the Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings. The Super Kings won that fixture and earned the right to host the 2024 IPL final at their home in Chennai. In the 2024 edition, the Kolkata Knight Riders won their 3rd IPL title, earning the right to host the subsequent edition (2025 IPL final) at their home turf at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The IPL 2025 final was shifted from Kolkata’s Eden Gardens to Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium due to security concerns, logistical challenges, and the risk of heavy rain during the monsoon season in Kolkata.
All in all, the Narendra Modi Stadium has earned its fourth IPL final in the last five editions and has become the venue to host the most IPL finals to date. The 2027 IPL final should be hosted at the home ground of the 2026 IPL champion, if there aren’t any last-minute changes in the scheduling for the next season owing to different factors.
Tags: IPL 2026