Cricket fans in Bengaluru were heartbroken on Wednesday, as it was announced that the city would lose out on hosting the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final.

With Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) holding pride of place as reigning champion, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium was slated to host the grand affair. But in a surprising development, an IPL media advisory explained that the match would be moved to Ahmedabad owing to “certain requirements from the local association and authorities that were beyond the scope of BCCI’s established guidelines and protocols.”

Out of playoff schedule

Bengaluru has also been completely shut out of the playoff schedule, with Dharamshala and New Chandigarh set to host the Qualifier 1, Qualifier 2 and Eliminator outings. Before the start of the season, the Karnataka State Cricket Association was confident that Bengaluru would be allotted the Qualifier 2 fixture along with the final.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar dismissed speculation that Bengaluru was sidelined because of MLAs demanding match passes. “Ahmedabad has a large stadium and more people can attend - that must be the reason the IPL final was shifted there. There is no connection between distributing tickets to MLAs and the shifting of the final match,” Mr. Shivakumar said.

Former Karnataka cricketer Anand Katti expressed his disappointment at the change in venue. “It is very unfortunate. I believe that the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has the best crowd and energy. Even the players love to play here. A lot of effort has been put in to bring IPL matches to Bengaluru. It would have been ideal to have the final also here,” Mr. Katti said.

Why always Ahmedabad?

The decision to shift the IPL final from Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to Narendra Modi Stadium has drawn strong reactions from Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans, many of whom questioned why Ahmedabad was chosen. While some fans said shifting the final was understandable given concerns after last year’s stampede and the limited capacity of Chinnaswamy Stadium, many criticised the BCCI, saying major IPL matches are repeatedly being taken to Ahmedabad.

It can be recalled that last year too, IPL 2025 finals was shifted out of Kolkata, home ground of the then champions Kolkata Knight Riders to Ahmedabad.

IT consultant and RCB fan Sameer M. Havanoor, who attended a league stage match between RCB and Sun Risers Hyderabad in the city, termed it a big miss. Mr. Havanoor stated that the new measures in the stadium to ensure fan safety passed muster, adding that these protocols could have been used in the final as well.

“The league stage matches were smoothly organised. There was a big police presence, and there were big signboards everywhere to educate the public about the new measures. The stadium is well equipped to host the final. It is disappointing, especially since RCB is doing well and could reach the final,” Mr. Havanoor said.

Rahul Kumar, another RCB fan, said the BCCI should explain the decision clearly. “BCCI should write an apology note to fans and mention the reason why Chinnaswamy lost the right to host. Why is it always Ahmedabad? IPL fans should boycott this,” he said.

(With additional inputs from Rishita Khanna)