BCCI announces schedule for IPL 2026 playoffs, final moved from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad

The summit clash of the IPL 2026, which was originally slated to be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, has now been shifted to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad after the BCCI announced the playoff schedule on May 6.

The press release issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to convey the information about the playoffs has specified that local administrative requirements needed to schedule the final in Bengaluru "were beyond the scope of BCCI's established guidelines and protocols" owing to a change in the venue for the blockbuster clash.

After an end to the league stage comprising 70 fixtures, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) in Dharamsala will host Qualifier 1, which will see a direct face-off between the No. 1 and the No. 2-ranked teams on the points table.

The spectacle will then switch bases to the New International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. The ground in New Chandigarh will organise the Eliminator, to be contested between the third and fourth-ranked teams on the ladder. The venue will also host Qualifier 2, which will determine who joins the winner of Qualifier 1 in the final of the season. 

The BCCI has cited "certain operational and logistical considerations" as the reason behind scheduling the playoffs across three different venues.

The venue in New Chandigarh hosted the Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator of IPL 2025, whereas Qualifier 2 and the final were played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Royal Challengers Bengaluru had defeated Punjab Kings in the final by six runs to win their maiden IPL title, a silverware that eluded them for 17 seasons.

Playoffs schedule: