The decision by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to relocate the IPL 2025 playoffs and final from Kolkata’s Eden Gardens to Ahmedabad has triggered a fiery political backlash in West Bengal, with the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) calling it a “conspiracy” driven by political motives rather than weather concerns.
Kolkata loses IPL final hosting rights—again
In a move that diverges from long-standing IPL tradition, the playoffs, originally scheduled for Kolkata and Hyderabad, have been shifted to New Chandigarh and Ahmedabad. The final is now set for June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, marking the third time in four years the title clash will be held at the Gujarat venue.
According to the BCCI, the early onset of the southwest monsoon led to the shift. But West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas is having none of it.
Aroop Biswas slams BCCI’s justification
“Rain is an excuse, but it is a conspiracy. The BCCI and IPL Governing Council have blamed the weather but we have received the weather report. CAB had written a letter earlier to know what kind of weather there would be. The Meteorological Department had already written to CAB with the weather forecast between May 20 and May 30. The rest forecast will be published and will be analysed after May 26 said by Meteorological department. There is no forecast before this. We don’t know when the IPL Governing Council became meteorologists,” Biswas said, as quoted by IndiaToday.
Biswas alleged that the shift is part of a broader political agenda to sideline Bengal. “We were supposed to have the IPL play-offs and finals at Eden Gardens. It is definitely being moved for political reasons. Why did you deprive the cricket lovers of Bengal of my words?”
He further highlighted the contradiction in the official explanation by pointing to the original IPL schedule. “The state BJP president and central minister wrote, the match has been moved from Eden for law and order. The IPL press release on May 20 said that the last four matches were supposed to be held in Hyderabad and Kolkata. But the IPL Governing Council has moved the match due to rainy weather.”
The state minister also called out the recurring pattern of Gujarat hosting the IPL final. “There have been 7 games here, nothing bad happened in one. The best system of water drainage is in Eden, it is completely politically motivated. This has not happened in the history of 93 years. Weather is an excuse. For some reason, the final has to be held in Ahmedabad. In the last 4 years, the final has been held 3 times at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. In 2023, the game was not played due to rain. Can any meteorologist say that it will not rain in Ahmedabad on June 3?”
Law and order concerns dismissed by Kolkata police
BJP leaders had reportedly cited law and order issues as another justification for moving the matches. But Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma strongly refuted these claims.
“Questions have been raised about law and order in the IPL match. There were 9 games here, 7 matches were played, a lot of people, 60,000 people watched the game every day. No one had any problem.”
Verma emphasized that there were no security lapses and no objections during coordination meetings with the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). “We have had meetings with CAB many times. But no one raised any questions. We only announced the match on April 6 for Ram Navami. We said it thinking about people’s safety and people. That match did not go to another state. That match was played on another day. Law and order has always been good in Kolkata, and Kolkata has always been good. But there was some other motive behind it.”
Political undertones and repeated accusations
The IPL 2025 season had already been marred by a 10-day suspension amid geopolitical tensions, with some matches moved for security reasons. However, the abrupt venue shift for the playoffs has been seen by many in Bengal as a deliberate snub.
“It is evident that Bengal’s cricket lovers are being deprived by moving out the match from the hallowed Eden Gardens,” Biswas said, further fueling allegations of bias. “On one hand, they are trying to kill the people of Bengal without providing the scheme funds, on the other hand, depriving cricket lovers.”
In a pointed jab at the BCCI’s rationale, Biswas asked, “turned into weathermen?”
What’s next for IPL 2025?
With Qualifier 1 set for May 29 in New Chandigarh, followed by the second Qualifier and the final in Ahmedabad on June 1 and 3, the controversy is likely to linger, especially as the Narendra Modi Stadium continues to host a disproportionate share of high-stakes matches.
As the political fallout continues, one thing is clear—the storm over IPL 2025’s final venue won’t settle any time soon.
