Royal Challengers Bengaluru were kept devoid of a golden opportunity to lift the IPL 2026 trophy in front of their home crowd as the BCCI shifted the final,
originally scheduled to be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Karnataka's deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar was not happy with the BCCI call, saying that it was an injustice to the youngster back home. However, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla has clarified the reasoning behind the last-minute change in itinerary.
Shukla has said that the decision to opt for moving the final out of the garden city was aimed at juicing out maximum revenue, as the 132,000 spectator capacity at Motera makes it the biggest cricket stadium in the world.
"The playoff matches are BCCI-organised matches; we always strive to host major fixtures, such as the finals, in stadiums with large capacities. This ensures that substantial revenue is generated and that the maximum number of spectators can be accommodated. That is precisely why we selected Ahmedabad; with a seating capacity exceeding 100,000 (132,000), it makes it much easier to accommodate everyone, including our members and various other attendees," Shukla said as quoted by The Economic Times.
Midway through the tournament, the BCCI made an exceptional change to host the IPL final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, citing logistical as well as external forces out of the board's reach to not be allowed to host the final at Chinnaswamy. Shivakumar was not happy and felt that the iconic venue of Bengaluru deserved to host the final, as RCB were the defending champions and had the first right to get the summit clash held at their home ground.
"Injustice has not been done to RCB. Injustice has been done to Bengaluru and Karnataka youngsters. The IPL final was supposed to be played here. But it happened in Ahmedabad. Whatever happened last time, we have all forgotten it and have started a new beginning," DK Shivakumar had told the reporters after RCB beat the Gujarat Titans in the finale on Sunday, May 31.
The BCCI has been hosting the IPL final at the Narendra Modi Stadium for the last five seasons, 2022 being the first. Since the cash-rich tournament gives the board an opportunity to cash in surplus revenue from the spectacle event, Narendra Modi Stadium stands out as the venue to host showpiece games, especially the playoff games and finals.
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