Royal Challengers Bangalore were deprived of a golden opportunity to lift the IPL 2026 trophy in front of their home crowd as the BCCI shifted the final, which was originally scheduled to be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar was not happy with BCCI's call and said that it was injustice to the young domestic players. However, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla has clarified the reason behind the last-minute change in the itinerary.
Shukla has said that the decision to move the final out of the Garden City was aimed at maximizing revenue, as Motera's capacity of 132,000 spectators makes it the largest cricket stadium in the world.
“Playoff matches are matches organized by the BCCI; we always strive to host major fixtures such as the finals in large capacity stadiums. This ensures that adequate revenue is generated and the maximum number of spectators can be accommodated. That is why we chose Ahmedabad; with a seating capacity of over 100,000 (132,000), it makes it very easy to accommodate everyone, including our members and various other attendees,” of The Economic Times. Shukla was quoted as saying.
Midway through the tournament, the BCCI made an extraordinary change to host the IPL final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, citing arrangements beyond the reach of the board and external forces for not allowing the final to be hosted at Chinnaswamy. Shivakumar was not happy and felt that the prestigious venue of Bengaluru was worthy of hosting the final as RCB were the defending champions and had the first right to host the summit clash on their home ground.
“Injustice has not been done to RCB. Injustice has been done to the youth of Bengaluru and Karnataka. The IPL final was supposed to be played here. But it happened in Ahmedabad. Whatever happened last time, we all have forgotten it and made a fresh start,” DK Shivakumar told reporters after RCB defeated Gujarat Titans in the final on Sunday, May 31.
The BCCI has been hosting the IPL final at the Narendra Modi Stadium for the last five seasons, with 2022 being the first. Since this cash-rich tournament gives the board an opportunity to cash in on surplus revenue from the spectacle programme, the Narendra Modi Stadium stands out as the venue to host showpiece games, especially playoff games and finals.
Get every cricket update! Follow us: :
Leave a Reply