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Former India player Sunil Gavaskar has backed the BCCI’s decision to shift the IPL 2026 final from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad. The hosting rights of the mega match are allocated to the defending champions, and with Royal Challengers Bengaluru winning the title in 2025, the final was expected to be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on May 31.

However, the Indian cricket board not only moved the summit clash to the Narendra Modi Stadium, but it also took away the playoffs from Bengaluru, with Dharamsala and New Chandigarh getting picked as venues for the big games.

According to reports, the top brass of the board was not happy with the ticket demands made by the MLAs in Karnataka, and in order to avoid any inconvenience, the final was shifted to Gujarat. The Karnataka State Cricket Association and the Deputy Chief Minister reacted to the latest development.

According to KSCA, they were ready to host the contests and were not informed about the reason behind the move. DK Shivakumar refuted the claims that ticket allocations to the politicians played a role in BCCI’s new directive. For him, the size of the Ahmedabad venue and the likely presence of more fans led to the shift.

Gavaskar, who is renowned for his frank opinion, hailed the BCCI.

“Bengaluru will not host the playoffs, and we have been told several reasons behind the move. I think it is the correct decision as Ahmedabad has the biggest stadium in the world and the gate money will go to the BCCI. In the league matches, the gate money goes to the home franchises,” Gavaskar said during the SRH vs PBKS match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Even last year, the final was not held at the Eden Gardens due to weather issues and the India-Pakistan tensions.

IPL 2026 Playoffs Schedule

Qualifier 1: May 26 – HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala

Eliminator: May 27 – New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh

Qualifier 2: May 29 – New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh

Final: May 31 – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad