The Board of Control for Cricket in India BCCI has released the playoff timetable for the current IPL 2026 season. The final match was originally scheduled to be played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru according to earlier reports but now the championship match will take place at Ahmedabad's legendary Narendra Modi Stadium. This will be the fourth time in the last five years that Ahmedabad hosts the final.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has now made a strong statement, revealing why the final was shifted from Bengaluru.

Devajit Saikia spoke to ANI about the decision to relocate the IPL 2026 final from M Chinnaswamy Stadium which serves as the official home ground of RCB.

He stated that IPL regulations require the board to distribute 15 percent of the stadium's full capacity as free tickets to the local host association. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) made a request to obtain more tickets than the permitted 15 percent allocation.

Saikia quoted: “As per IPL protocol, we are required to provide only 15% of the total seating capacity as complimentary tickets to the host association. However, we received information from various sources indicating that during the hosting of IPL 2026 league matches, KSCA was claiming a significantly higher number of complimentary tickets, far exceeding the stipulated 15%.”

The ticket distribution process has become the main concern after Saikia made his statement which brought attention to the matter right before the tournament's important stage.

The BCCI received an unexpected answer from the KSCA who replied to their email inquiry about the issue. The association requested more than 15 percent of complimentary tickets according to Saikia who reported that they requested tickets for multiple Karnataka government officials including Members of the Legislative Assembly and Members of the Legislative Council.

He commented: “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% complimentary ticket quota, they would require an additional, substantial allocation of tickets for their members, affiliated clubs and various others. Most surprisingly, they also requested tickets for their local Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs).”

The BCCI secretary concluded his statement by explaining that the board serves as the organizing body for IPL 2026 and its playoff matches but must follow established protocols which prevent them from distributing additional tickets. 

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Blaming the Karnataka government and the KSCA for the IPL 2026 playoff venue fiasco, he added “the BCCI serves as the host body for the playoff and final matches. Therefore, we cannot violate our protocol by issuing tickets in excess of what is permitted under the IPL's rules and regulations, specifically, the 15% complimentary quote allocated to the host state.”

The official announcement of IPL 2026 playoff schedule created new complications because of the ongoing ticket disputes which developed before the knockout matches. 

The KSCA which represents the Karnataka government will decide how to address the allegations made by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia.