New Delhi, May 20 (IANS) The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will not play their final home fixture at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium this season. The Indian Premier League has officially relocated Match No. 65 between RCB and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), originally scheduled for Friday (May 23) from Bengaluru to the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

This decision, taken after a meeting between BCCI and IPL officials on Tuesday, follows the yellow alert issued by the Indian Meteorological Department warning of “heavy to very heavy rainfall” in Bengaluru through Thursday.

The change in venue means RCB will now play both their remaining league fixtures in Lucknow. They will face SRH on May 23 and then take on hosts Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 27 at the same venue.

Confirming the decision, IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal told IANS, “IPL Match No. 65 between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 23 has been shifted to Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium following adverse weather reports. The decision was taken after the BCCI and IPL officials’ meeting on Tuesday.

“Also, the Playoffs matches will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium (Final, June 3 and Qualifier 2, June 1), Ahmedabad, and Mullanpur Stadium (Qualifier 1, May 29 and Eliminator, May 30), New Chandigarh, due to the same reason,” he added.

RCB’s previous fixture at home, against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), was abandoned without a ball bowled owing to relentless rainfall. Since then, the city has experienced severe weather disruption, including thunderstorms and widespread waterlogging. The continued adverse weather made the scheduling of another high-stakes encounter in Bengaluru untenable.

In light of these logistical challenges and weather risks, the BCCI has also confirmed the finalised venues for the IPL 2025 Playoffs.

The New PCA Stadium at Mullanpur in New Chandigarh will host Qualifier 1 on May 29 and the Eliminator on May 30, while Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium will stage Qualifier 2 on June 1 and the grand finale on June 3. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Hyderabad and Kolkata, but had to be reassigned for the same weather-related reasons.

The reshuffle comes after a week-long suspension of the tournament earlier this month due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. That suspension saw the league pause on May 9 and resume on May 17, with the final now pushed from May 25 to June 3.

Meanwhile, the playoff race is in the home stretch. Three teams, Punjab Kings (PBKS), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and Gujarat Titans (GT), have already confirmed their qualification. Delhi Capitals (DC) and Mumbai Indians (MI) are in a neck-and-neck race for the fourth and final spot in the playoffs.

–IANS

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