The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that the IPL 2026 final will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31, rather than at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The announcement came as the BCCI released the schedule for the IPL 2026 playoffs, with the league stage giving way to a three-venue knockout run-up to the title match.
Key takeaways
- The IPL 2026 final is scheduled for May 31 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
- Qualifier 1 will take place on May 26 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala.
- The Eliminator is set for May 27, while Qualifier 2 is on May 29—both at the New International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.
- For the second straight year, the title match will be staged in Ahmedabad.
- In 2025, the final could not be held at Eden Gardens in Kolkata due to a bad-weather forecast.
Why Bengaluru was not the final venue
Under the usual IPL arrangement, the championship match is held at the home ground of the reigning champions. With Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) having won the previous edition, Bengaluru would have been the natural host for the final. However, the BCCI said the decision could not be implemented because of “certain incidents beyond the scope of BCCI’s established guidelines and protocols.”
The BCCI also pointed to operational and logistical requirements for IPL 2026 playoffs, describing the tournament’s postseason as a special case conducted across three venues. It added that Bengaluru had been earmarked for the final initially, but a reassignment was made after certain demands from the local association and authorities that fell outside the BCCI’s standard framework.
Playoffs venues and the final’s backdrop
Ahmedabad will host the IPL final for the second season in a row, with the Narendra Modi Stadium also described as the world’s largest cricket ground. The BCCI noted that last year the final was moved away from Kolkata’s Eden Gardens after an unfavourable weather forecast.
Looking ahead to the 2026 postseason, Dharamsala has been selected for Qualifier 1, while Mullanpur will stage both the Eliminator and Qualifier 2. Those venues are also identified as the home grounds of Punjab Kings, the side that finished as runners-up in 2025.
Complete IPL 2026 playoffs schedule
The BCCI released the full knockout schedule after confirming the conclusion of the league stage, which featured 70 high-intensity matches. The playoffs begin with the teams placed highest in the table and progress through the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 before the final showdown.
- 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
Qualifier 1 is designed for the top two sides in the points table, with the winner earning a direct place in the final. The Eliminator follows on May 27, pitting the teams finishing third and fourth against each other. Qualifier 2 is scheduled for May 29 at the same New Chandigarh venue, where the loser of Qualifier 1 takes on the winner of the Eliminator to decide the second finalist.
The season then culminates with the IPL 2026 final on May 31 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, set to bring the playoffs to a close at the world’s largest cricket venue.
