BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia on Thursday clarified why there has been a shift in venue for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final. The Indian cricket board announced the playoff venues on Thursday, shifting the season finale from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad. The first qualifier will be played in Dharamsala on May 26. The Eliminator and the Qualifier 2 will be played in New Chandigarh on May 27 and May 29, respectively.
IPL 2026 | Schedule | Results | Orange Cap | Purple Cap
Speaking to ANI, Saikia highlighted Karnataka State Cricket Association was seeking complimentary tickets well beyond the permitted limit. Speaking to news agency ANI, Saikia said IPL rules allow only 15 per cent of the total stadium capacity as complimentary tickets for the host
association.
“As per IPL protocol, we are required to provide only 15 per cent of the total seating capacity as complimentary tickets to the host association. This constitutes the standard protocol; all host state associations receive a 15 per cent allocation of their total capacity in the form of complimentary tickets,” Saikia said.
The BCCI, however, received inputs suggesting that the KSCA had been seeking a significantly higher number of complimentary tickets during league-stage matches.
“However, we received information from various sources indicating that during the hosting of IPL league matches, the Karnataka State Association was claiming a significantly higher number of complimentary tickets, far exceeding the stipulated 15 per cent,” Saikia said.
Following this, the board reached out to the KSCA for clarity and was taken aback by the response received on May 2.
“Consequently, we sent them an email requesting precise details regarding this matter. We were shocked when we received a response via email from the Karnataka State Cricket Association on May 2nd; in that email, they stated that, over and above the 15 per cent complimentary ticket quota, they would require an additional, substantial allocation of tickets for their members, affiliated clubs, and various others,” Saikia said.
He further revealed that the requests extended to local legislators and the state government.
“Most surprisingly, they also requested tickets for their local Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and Members of the Legislative Council. And also to the government of Karnataka, 700 complimentary tickets. Thus, over and above the 15 per cent allocation, they were demanding approximately 10,000 additional tickets,” he added.
Earlier in March, Karnataka deputy chief minister D. K. Shivakumar had announced that MLAs would receive three complimentary tickets for IPL matches, along with two free tickets for international fixtures and the option to purchase two more. The decision followed discussions with KSCA officials and came after several legislators raised concerns over ticket distribution and seating arrangements at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Subsequently, Assembly speaker U T Khader directed the state government to ensure that every MLA is provided with four VIP tickets during matches held at the venue.
