Devajit Saikia confirmed that moving the IPL final out of Bengaluru was a deliberate decision from the BCCI. It’s not because of any infrastructural issue or protocol violation but due to an important meeting of the International Cricket Council
Updated: May 8, 2026 5:51 PM IST
In a latest development, a brand new layer has unfurled as to why the Indian Premier League 2026 final was moved out from Bengaluru to the World’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad. There were many speculations regarding the lack of proper infrastructure and crowd management but the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India – Devajit Saikia has given a different reasoning altogether.
While speaking to the Times of India recently, Devajit Saikia confirmed that moving the IPL final out of Bengaluru was a deliberate decision from the BCCI. It’s not because of any infrastructural issue or protocol violation but due to an important meeting of the International Cricket Council around the time of the Premier League title match on Sunday, May 31.
Saikia stated that this ICC meeting was originally slated to take place in Doha, Qatar back in March, but due to the on-going conflict in the middle-east between US-Israel and Iran, the meeting was postponed to a later date.
Therefore, Ahmedabad will now be hosting the meeting with a number of foreign delegates set to appear for the meet. It will run concurrently with the IPL final, Saikia confirmed.
“An important meeting of the International Cricket Council is scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad around the time of the final. That meeting was originally supposed to be held in Doha, Qatar from March 25-27 but has been postponed in the wake of the on-going conflict involving US, Israel and Iran. All the foreign delegates will be present in Ahmedabad during that time.” – BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told Times of India.
Furthermore, Saikia stated that along with logistical and weather issues, maximizing revenue through ticket sales was an additional factor as to why the IPL final has been moved out of Bengaluru. The M Chinnaswamy Stadium can only hold up to 30,000 people, whereas the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad has a capacity of 132,000.
A bigger stadium will mean more spectators will flock in to watch the final. It has almost become a norm nowadays with the Narendra Modi Stadium hosting big and important games. Last year, the final was moved out from the Eden Gardens in Kolkata to Ahmedabad, perhaps for the very same reason.
Another factor, which was taken into consideration, is the pre-monsoon showers that could affect the final if it was held in Bengaluru.
“In terms of logistics and facilities, the Narendra Modi Stadium is possibly the best in India. The venue can hold 1,32,000 spectators, which help the BCCI in maximising its revenue generation from ticket sales in the final.” – Devajit Saikia added.
Where will the play-off matches take place?
The play-offs will officially kick off from 26th May onwards with the 1st Qualifier set to take place at the scenic Dharamshala Stadium in Himachal Pradesh. The PCA New Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh will host the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 on 27th and 29th May respectively.
