On Wednesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the IPL 2026 Playoffs schedule and stated that final has been moved out from Bengaluru.
After 70 high-octane league-stage games, characterised by phenomenal individual displays and needle-in-the-haystack moments, the IPL statement cited here indicates that the tournament enters its utmost phase.
Qualifier 1 (the teams finished 1-2 in the standings) is scheduled for May 26 at the HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala for a direct place into the Final.
The Eliminator, meanwhile, will be played on May 27 at the New International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. It takes place between teams finished third and fourth.
Qualifier 2: May 29 – same venue, loser of Qualifier 1 v winner of the Eliminator for spots in final
The season will end with the Grand Final on May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the world’s biggest cricket ground and which ensures a grand climax, it added.
The IPL 2026 Playoffs will take place across three venues this season, but it is an exception due to some operational and logistical reasons.
The IPL statement added: “Bengaluru was supposed to be the venue where the Final was held. But because of some local association and government-clause requirements which BCCI could not accommodate as part of its established guidelines and SOPs, the venue has been changed and allotted.
Playoffs Schedule:
Qualifier 1 – May 26 – HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala
Eliminator – May 27 – New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh
Qualifier 2 – May 29 – New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh
Final–May 31–Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad