The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday clarified the reasons behind Bengaluru not being chosen to host the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final. Board secretary Devajit Saikia stated that the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) had requested a significantly higher number of complimentary tickets than the permissible quota.
The IPL 2026 final will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, while Dharamshala and New Chandigarh will host the other playoff matches. Saikia, in an interview with news agency ANI, explained that IPL regulations allow only 15 percent of the total stadium capacity as complimentary tickets for the host association.
"As per IPL protocol, we are required to provide only 15 percent of the total seating capacity as complimentary tickets to the host association. This constitutes the standard protocol; all host state associations receive a 15 percent allocation of their total capacity in the form of complimentary tickets," Saikia said.
He added that the BCCI received reports indicating that KSCA had been claiming far more tickets during IPL league matches. "However, we received information from various sources indicating that during the hosting of IPL league matches, the Karnataka State Association was claiming a significantly higher number of complimentary tickets far exceeding the stipulated 15 percent," Saikia noted.
Following these reports, the BCCI wrote to KSCA seeking clarification. Saikia expressed surprise at the response received on May 2. "Consequently, 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 percent complimentary ticket quota, they would require an additional, substantial allocation of tickets for their members, affiliated clubs, and various others," Saikia said.
"Most surprisingly, they also requested tickets for their local Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and Members of the Legislative Council. And also to the government of Karnataka, 700 complimentary tickets. Thus, over and above the 15 percent allocation, they were demanding approximately 10,000 additional tickets," he added.
In March, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had announced that each MLA would receive three free tickets for IPL matches, while two complimentary tickets would be given for international matches, with an option to buy two more. This announcement followed discussions with KSCA representatives.
The issue had also been raised by legislators in the Karnataka Assembly, who complained about ticket and seating arrangements at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Assembly Speaker U T Khader had subsequently asked the government to ensure that every MLA receives four VIP tickets during matches at the venue.
