Bengaluru, May 7 : Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwra on Thursday said that the BCCI might have decided to shift the IPL finals venue from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad considering commercial viability.
He clarified that distributing tickets to MLAs has nothing to do with shifting the final match, while asserting that there have been no complaints regarding security or arrangements in Bengaluru.
Ahmedabad will host the IPL final for a second successive season on May 31, replacing the “originally designated” Bengaluru, the BCCI announced on Wednesday while allotting Qualifier 1 to Dharamsala and two other playoff games to New Chandigarh.
“There have been five matches here and there hasn’t been even a single complaint regarding security. They (BCCI) have no reservations regarding the arrangements. There have been no complaints about police or administration from the IPL, RCB or KSCA,” Parameshwara said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, “Unofficially, what we have learned is that the stadium (Chinnaswamy stadium) here has about 33,000 seats, and of those, about 7,000-8,000 passes or seats are blocked for VIPs, sponsors, RCB, and the teams playing the final match. Only about 25,000 passes will remain.”
“Since it will not work out commercially, they might have decided to shift the match to Ahmedabad, which has a one-lakh seat capacity. This discussion has been ongoing since the beginning. While KSCA wanted the match to happen here citing rules that the first and last matches should be held at the reigning champion’s home turf, perhaps they (BCCI) made an exception,” he added.
Rejecting reports that giving match passes to legislators was the reason behind shifting the match, the home minister said, “This has nothing to do with it. How many passes have been given? What difference will four passes make?”
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar also on Wednesday refuted allegations that the IPL final venue was shifted from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad due to the distribution of tickets to MLAs. He said the reason for the shift could be the availability of a larger stadium in Ahmedabad.
Bengaluru was scheduled to host the final going by convention as Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the defending champions. Apart from last year, Ahmedabad has previously hosted the IPL finale in 2022 and 2023.
“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,” the BCCI stated in a press release without specifying the exact requirements in the Karnataka capital.
In March, Shivakumar announced that three free tickets for IPL matches would be provided to each MLA, while two complimentary tickets would be given for international matches, with an option to purchase two more, following discussions with representatives of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, which manages the city’s Chinnaswamy stadium. This drew criticism from various sections.
Shivakumar’s announcement followed legislators across party lines in the Assembly raising the issue of improper ticket and seating arrangements for them at the city’s premier venue. Following this, Speaker U T Khader had asked the government to ensure that every MLA receives four VIP tickets at the stadium during matches.
