‘RCB match should have been held in Bengaluru’: DK Shivakumar questions IPL final venue shift

BENGALURU: Karnataka chief minister-designate DK Shivakumar on Sunday questioned the shifting of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad.

“RCB match should have been held in Bengaluru, injustice has been done to us,” he said.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) beat Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets in the IPL 2026 final at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday after chasing down 156 in 18 overs.



The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had earlier announced that Ahmedabad would host the IPL 2026 final on May 31, despite Bengaluru originally being designated as the venue.

In an official media advisory issued on May 6, the BCCI said, “Bengaluru was originally designated to host the Final. However, owing to certain requirements from the local association and authorities that were beyond the scope of BCCI's established guidelines and protocols, the venue has been shifted and reassigned.”

TOI previously reported that the ongoing administrative issues regarding tickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium led to the final being shifted to Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, which had also hosted the IPL 2025 final.

With the win, RCB successfully defended their IPL title after ending their trophy drought in 2025. The victory also made them only the third team after Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings to defend an IPL title consecutively.

Following the win, Shivakumar also congratulated the team in a social media post, saying, “RCB has created history by clinching a second consecutive IPL title. With grit, composure, and the heart of true champions, the team has once again made Bengaluru proud.”