Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium likely to host 2026 T20 World Cup final; no clarity on Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad has been shortlisted to play host to the T20 World Cup final in 2026, read a report in the Indian Express. Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the M Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai are the four other Indian stadiums which have been selected to host the mega event that starts in February next year.

The 2026 T20 World Cup is being jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The report also stated that three stadiums in Sri Lanka will play host to the matches. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to make an announcement soon. The development follows a meeting held by the BCCI top officials recently.

In the meeting, it was decided that, unlike the 2023 ODI World Cup, the T20 World Cup 2026 will be played in fewer cities and each venue is expected to get at least six matches. Although the dates are yet to be announced officially, the tournament is likely to start on February 7 and the final is likely to be on March 8.

No clarity on Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium

Meanwhile, the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru continues to be on the sidelines after a stampede on 4 June during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's victory celebrations that killed 11 people, including a minor. Since then, Bengaluru lost its ICC Women's World Cup 2025 host status after it was deemed unfit by the Justice John Michael Cunha Commission.

It is also understood that the BCCI has decided that those venues which hosted the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 won't be considered to host the men's 2026 T20 World Cup. That means, the likes of Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, Indore and Navi Mumbai will not be considered.

India vs Pakistan to be played in Colombo

Meanwhile, according to the agreement between BCCI and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the India vs Pakistan clash will be played in Colombo. The agreement was reached before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which stipulated that neither team would travel to the other's country for any kind of cricket match.

Furthermore, the report stated that the ICC made it clear to the BCCI that if Sri Lanka qualify for the final, the Islanders will play in Colombo. It is learnt that the BCCI has already submitted its schedule to the ICC.