IPL 2025 final set to be played at Ahmedabad? Venue likely confirmed - Report

IPL 2025 final set to be played at Ahmedabad? Venue likely confirmed

The locations for the final and the first two playoffs - Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator - are yet to be formally announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However a report in Cricbuzz stated Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium has been selected to host Qualifier 2 and the final, which are scheduled for June 1 and June 3 respectively.

According to the report weather is the only reason behind BCCI's delay in announcing the venues of playoffs and final. The plan could change if the forecasts prove to be wholly incorrect. Before deciding on the schedule, the board is monitoring how the monsoon is spreading around the country. It is anticipated that Ahmedabad will not have much rain in early June.

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Mumbai is still a possibility for the first two playoff games but the timing of the monsoon's arrival will ultimately determine the venue. Mumbai experienced a lot of rain a few days ago and the sky has remained cloudy ever since. The BCCI is anticipated to make a decision shortly. The board may choose a North Indian location, such as Delhi, Jaipur, or perhaps Lucknow, if those cities are unlikely to be impacted by the rainy season.

It is unlikely that the BCCI will move the IPL playoffs and final to another city. The venues will probably be among the six cities that have already been assigned to host the 17 league games that remain in the season after the suspension. The BCCI's decision was mostly influenced by operational considerations; logistically, moving broadcast equipment and establishing infrastructure at a new location would be difficult.

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In actuality, the BCCI did not assign matches to Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, or Mohali/Dharamsala mostly due to logistics. The board decided that moving broadcast equipment for a single match was impracticable because teams like CSK and SRH only had one home game left. The BCCI decided to make Jaipur the new base for Punjab Kings, who will now play their two remaining home games there after Mohali and Dharamsala were ruled out owing to recent border issues. It's possible that the final two games shift out of the Eden Gardens due to Kolkata's erratic weather. In any case, KKR had already played all of their home games in Kolkata.

The BCCI reportedly told franchises that teams with one remaining home game would play it in Delhi. This explains why the final home games for CSK (against RR) and SRH (against KKR) are set to take place in the capital.

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The Wankhede has been granted an exception but Mumbai is a different case altogether. Transporting broadcast equipment from Mumbai is easy because it is located in the heart of the IPL map. The equipment has actually been at the Wankhede since the May 6 game played between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans, which the latter won by three wickets as per DLS rules.

Meanwhile, despite having just one home game left, the Rajasthan Royals' final match was conveniently scheduled at Sawai Mansingh Stadium because Jaipur was chosen as the new venue for the Punjab Kings.