As the IPL 2026 playoffs schedule was revealed on Wednesday, the BCCI confirmed that the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final will take place on May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad rather than the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Since Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the previous IPL final, the Chinnaswamy would have hosted. The IPL final is often staged at the home ground of the current champion. But the BCCI declared that some occurrences "beyond the scope of BCCI's established guidelines and protocols" would not be able to be handled.

The largest cricket stadium in the world, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, will host the IPL final for the second consecutive year. A poor weather forecast in 2025 prevented the final from taking place at Kolkata's Eden Gardens. Qualifier 1 will be held at Dharamsala this year, while the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 will be held in Mullanpur. The Punjab Kings, who finished second in 2025, play their home games here.

BCCI Declaration:
"The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Playoffs schedule was released today by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), capping off yet another thrilling season.After 70 intense league-stage games marked by spectacular performances and thrilling moments, the tournament is currently in its pivotal stage. A direct spot in the Final is up for grabs in Qualifier 1, which will take place on May 26 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala between the top two teams in the standings.
The Eliminator between the third and fourth-place teams will subsequently take place on May 27 at the New International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. On May 29, Qualifier 2 will take place at the same location. The victor of the Eliminator will compete against the loser of Qualifier 1 to determine the second finalist.

The world's largest cricket arena, the Narendra Modi arena in Ahmedabad, will host the season's grand final on May 31, setting the stage for an incredible climax."
Why was the location of the IPL 2026 final changed?The BCCI stated that the TATA IPL 2026 Playoffs will be held in three locations this season due to specific operational and logistical issues.The Final was initially scheduled to be held in Bengaluru. However, the location has been moved and reassigned due to specific demands from the local association and authorities that were outside the purview of BCCI's established policies and procedures."

IPL 2026 Playoffs Schedule in Full
Qualifier 1: HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala, May 26
Eliminator: New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh, May 27
Qualifier 2: New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh, May 29
Final: Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium,May 31