Why is Bengalurus Chinnaswamy Stadium not in IPL 2026 playoff venues?
The venues and schedule for the IPL playoffs have now been announced. Starting from 26 May, the Qualifier clashes will take place at Dharamshala, New Chandigarh. The final venue has been changed from Chinnaswamy Stadium, to Narendra Modi Stadium after a recent development.
Fans have been waiting for the schedule of the IPL playoffs for a long time. Within a few days we would be aware of the final four teams of the tournament, but the schedule was not released. However, it has now been confirmed officially by the IPL, that the playoffs will start from 26 May, with the league stages ending on 24th.
The schedule for the league stages was only announced, as it was being said that Chinnaswamy Stadium remains a potential venue for the finals. But that has now changed. According to the schedule, Qualifier 1 will be taking place at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, offering a picturesque game to the fans.
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Later, the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 matches will be played at New International Cricket Stadium at New Chandigarh. For the finals, it was expected to be M Chinnaswamy Stadium. But it has now been changed due to the MLA tickets issue in Bengaluru. Now the IPL 2026 final is confirmed to take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium, hosting the finals again.
BCCI even released a statement for the same. It read, “Bengaluru was originally designated to host the Final. However,owingto certain requirements from the local association & authorities that were beyond the scope of BCCI's established guidelines and protocols, the venue has been shifted and reassigned.”
Our Take
The schedule for the playoffs was awaited by the fans but it has disappointed them to some extent. The finals will once again be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, as the issue has been with the MLA tickets at the Chinnaswamy. Punjab fans would be delighted to some extent, as all the Qualifier games except the finals will provide them with the home-ground advantage.