Eden Gardens Gears Up To Host The Final Of 2026 T20 World Cup: Report

The iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata could create history in 2026 as it could host the final of the 2026 T20 World Cup. While the next edition of the tournament is scheduled to be played in the Caribbeans and the United States in June 2024, the tenth edition will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in 2026.

In 2016, India had hosted the tournament alone and are gearing up to co-host it in 2026. The final of the 2016 T20 World Cup was played at the Eden Gardens and the historic venue could become the first-ever venue to host two T20 World Cup finals.

The stadium will reportedly undergo renovation as soon as the BCCI confirms the venue for the final. According to reports, it will receive a bolder look and be equipped with enhanced facilities. According to myKhel, the renovation work is likely to commence immediately after IPL 2024 concludes. This will effectively rule out any possibility of the venue hosting any games in 2024.

Eden Gardens gear up for historic final:

Eden Gardens has already hosted two World Cup finals. In 1987, it hosted the final of the ODI World Cup when India co-hosted the competition for the very first time. 29 years later, the venue hosted the final between England and West Indies when India hosted the T20 World Cup for the first time. It is now in line to become the first venue to host two T20 World Cup finals.

It is also one of only five venues to have hosted the finals of the World Cup in both white-ball formats. The other four venues are – Wanderers Stadium in South Africa, Lord’s in England, Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, and Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.

The Eden Gardens recently hosted five matches in the 2023 World Cup. Team India’s clash against South Africa was played in Kolkata and it turned out to be a memorable one as Virat Kohli hit his 49th ODI century to equal legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record.