Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has lost the rights to host the IPL 2026 final to Ahmedabad, much to the Karnataka Cricket Association's disappointment. Despite claiming full preparedness and a strong operational record, the KSCA was informed of the shift due to unspecified 'operational and logistical considerations' by the BCCI, sparking debate.
The IPL 2026 final has been moved from Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium to Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium due to operational and logistical issues with the local association. This marks Ahmedabad's fourth final in five seasons. Previously, Ahmedabad hosted in 2022 and 2025, with scheduling and weather concerns influencing those decisions as well.
More than 240 CCTV cameras were rendered non-functional at M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the IPL 2026 match between RCB and Gujarat Titans on April 24. Two individuals, Manjunath (37) and Abdul Kalam (19), were arrested for allegedly entering the CCTV control room without valid passes and damaging Network Video Recorder systems. The accused told police they had not been paid dues amounting to Rs 10 lakh. Despite the disruption, RCB successfully chased down GT's 205/3 in 18.5 overs.
Devdutt Padikkal scored a match-winning 27-ball 55 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Gujarat Titans, attributing his enhanced game awareness to his experience captaining Karnataka. The 25-year-old explained that leadership has helped him understand bowler psychology and tactical decision-making, resulting in a more complete T20 batsman. He also praised teammate Virat Kohli's relentless energy and commitment, while GT assistant coach Vijay Dahiya revealed Kohli was disappointed at not converting his innings into a century.
If Sudharsan scores 72 runs against RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday, he will become the fastest batter to complete 2,000 runs in IPL history. He currently has 1,928 runs from 46 matches and 46 innings at an average of 45.90 and a strike rate of 145.83, with two centuries and 13 fifties.
