In a major development, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced the playoff schedule for the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026). The big surprise is that the IPL 2026 final will now be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Presently, 48 league matches have already been played, and now only 22 matches are left to finalize the top four teams for the title clash. However, before the end of the league phase, the BCCI had already announced the dates and venues for the playoffs on Wednesday, May 6.
Key Points
- The IPL 2026 final is reportedly set to be shifted to Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
- Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has reportedly lost hosting rights due to the ongoing MLA ticket controversy.
- Qualifier 1 is expected to be held in Dharamsala.
- Mullanpur is likely to host both the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 matches.
BCCI announces IPL 2026 Playoffs schedule
With the ongoing IPL 2026 season entering the final phase, Ahmedabad has been finalized for the title clash, with Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium stripped of the race because of the ticket controversy. Qualifier 1 will take place in Dharamsala, while both the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 matches are set to be played in Mullanpur, Punjab Kings’ (PBSK) home ground.
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The top two teams in the points table will face each other in Qualifier 1 on May 26 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. The winner of this match will go straight into the IPL 2026 final. Then, the action will shift to PBKS’ home ground. The Eliminator will be played on May 27 between the teams finishing third and fourth in Mullanpur.
The losing team will be out of the tournament. Meanwhile, the same ground in Mullanpur will also host Qualifier 2 on May 29 between the loser of Qualifier 1 and the winner of the Eliminator. The winner of the Qualifier 2 game will join the winner of the Qualifier 1 for the summit clash.
IPL 2026 Final shifted to Narendra Modi Stadium
The grand title clash will be played on May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which is the world’s biggest cricket stadium. This means defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) could not play the final at their home ground even if they qualified.
However, the BCCI cited operational and logistical issues behind moving the final from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad, but reports suggested that ticket controversy was the reason behind the move. It was reported that a huge number of the tickets were sold in black for the RCB games in Bengaluru, and Karnataka MLAs were involved in the racket.
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The BCCI said in an official media release: “Owing to certain operational and logistical considerations, the TATA IPL 2026 Playoffs will be conducted across three venues this season as a special case. Bengaluru was originally designated to host the final. However, owing to certain requirements from the local association and authorities that were beyond the scope of BCCI’s established guidelines and protocols, the venue has been shifted and reassigned.”
Here’s the schedule for the IPL 2026 Playoffs –
May 26: Qualifier 1 at HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala
May 27: Eliminator at New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh, Mullanpur
May 29: Qualifier 2 at New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh, Mullanpur
May 31: Final at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
