Published May 07, 2026 | 8:11 PM ⚊ Updated May 07, 2026 | 8:11 PM
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia. (Screengrab)
Synopsis: BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that while they are required to provide only 15 percent of the total seating capacity as complimentary tickets to the host association, KSCA, during the hosting of IPL league matches, demanded a significantly higher number of complimentary tickets. In an email on 2 May, the KSCA requested 700 complimentary tickets for state government, 900 tickets for MLAs, MLCs. In total, the KSCA was demanding an additional of 10,000 tickets over and above the stipulated allocation.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia on Thursday, 7 May, explained the reason for shifting the IPL final from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad.
Speaking to the news agency ANI, Devajit Saikia said, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) demanded a “huge” chunk of tickets over and above the stipulated complimentary tickets (15 percent of stadium capacity) during the IPL matches in Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy stadium.
“These tickets were demanded for KSCA members, affiliated clubs and others including MLAs, MLCs and their families. This was one of the reasons the BCCI decided to shift the IPL final. Ideally, the defending champions host the finals of the IPL,” said BCCI secretary.
He said that while they are required to provide only 15 percent of the total seating capacity as complimentary tickets to the host association, KSCA, during the hosting of IPL league matches, demanded a significantly higher number of complimentary tickets. In an email on 2 May, the KSCA requested 700 complimentary tickets for state government, 900 tickets for MLAs, MLCs. In total, the KSCA was demanding an additional of 10,000 tickets over and above the stipulated allocation.
“The BCCI is the hosting authority for the playoffs and the final matches. We cannot dilute our protocol by giving more tickets. They were asking much more. If we calculate, if we give all the tickets they are asking for, the general public will get few thousands of tickets,” he said.
The ANI report further read: Calling the demands a violation of IPL regulations, Saikia said the BCCI had “no option” but to shift the playoff fixtures. As a result, Qualifier 1 will be played at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on May 26, while the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 will be staged in Mullanpur on May 27 and 29, respectively, before the final in Ahmedabad on May 31.
#WATCH | Guwahati, Assam: BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia says, “Yesterday, the BCCI and the IPL announced the venues for the playoff matches. We have the Qualifiers and Playoffs, as well as the Final match. Therefore, we have selected three venues. One venue is Dharamshala; the… pic.twitter.com/n4YORh7GLt
— ANI (@ANI) May 7, 2026
(With inputs from Anisha Reddy)
