The IPL 2026 playoffs schedule has been confirmed, with matches set to be staged across Dharamshala, New Chandigarh (Mullanpur) and Ahmedabad. The BCCI has said the postseason will be spread over three venues “as a special case,” citing operational and logistical needs.
Quick facts
- Qualifier 1: May 26 at HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala
- Eliminator: May 27 at New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh
- Qualifier 2: May 29 at New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh
- Final: May 31 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
- Final league match: May 24 (two days before Qualifier 1)
Qualifier 1 will take place at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala, with the two highest-ranked sides from the group stage points table locking horns. The stakes are clear: the winner goes straight through to the final.
The Eliminator is scheduled for New Chandigarh, where the third and fourth placed teams will play. The winner of that match then moves on to contest Qualifier 2 against the loser of Qualifier 1, with both games set to be staged at the same New Chandigarh venue.
Qualifier 2 will decide the second finalist. The final of IPL 2026 is then set for May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The BCCI also addressed the change to the venue planned for the title clash. It stated that Bengaluru was initially earmarked to host the final, but the site was shifted and reassigned after requirements from the local association and authorities were raised—within a context the BCCI said fell outside its established guidelines and protocols.
For context, last season’s playoffs were distributed across two venues: New Chandigarh staged both Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator, while Ahmedabad hosted Qualifier 2 and the final. This year’s playoff structure, by contrast, will use three venues, with Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala and the remaining knockout matches in New Chandigarh before the final in Ahmedabad.
