West Bengal accuses BCCI of corruption in ongoing IPL 2025

West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas has slammed the BCCI for shifting the IPL 2025 playoffs match and the final from Kolkata's Eden Gardens to Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.

The original schedule of the IPL 2025 had followed the convention of awarding the second Qualifier and the final to the defending champion while the Qualifier 1 and Eliminator to the losing finalist.

Kolkata and Hyderabad had to lose matches

As a result, Kolkata was set to be the venue for the second Qualifier and the final while Hyderabad was announced as the venue for the first Qualifier and the Eliminator.

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However, the BCCI decided to change the venue in the wake of the tournament's week-long suspension. IPL 2025 was suspended for a week because of the cross-border tension with Pakistan.

When the tournament resumed, the BCCI announced that the league games would be played across six venues, with neither Kolkata nor Hyderabad on the list.

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It was expected that the two venues would at least host the playoff games and the final. However, the BCCI eventually decided against it and awarded the games to Chandigarh and Ahmedabad. While announcing the venue for the playoffs and the final, the BCCI stated:

"Hyderabad and Kolkata were initially supposed to host the last four games before the one-week suspension of the tournament. The new venues for the Playoffs were decided by the IPL Governing Council keeping in mind the weather conditions and other parameters."

West Bengal government slams BCCI for changing IPL 2025 final venue:

The BCCI's decision to change the IPL 2025 final and playoffs venues has not gone down well with the West Bengal government. The state's sports minister took a shot at the BCCI, stating that the board has 'once again deprived cricket lovers from Bengal'.

"100 percent matches in Kolkata have been played without a single incident," said Biswas.

Biswas was accompanied by Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma who said: "A total of nine matches were scheduled to be played in Kolkata. As Commissioner of Police, I am here to say that seven matches have been played here so far, and no incident has been reported. These matches witnessed 60,000 plus footfall."

BCCI accused of corruption

Verma also stated that the BCCI’s official information did not cite law and order as the reason for the shift. Biswas, on the other hand, took shots at BJP too, saying: "Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar on his X handle posted that the matches have been shifted due to the law and order problem. The BCCI and the IPL governing body have claimed that a new venue for the playoff match and final has been decided, considering the weather conditions. Who is saying the truth — the BJP or BCCI?

"It is a politically motivated decision. It is to inform you all that no forecast has been issued for the first week of June. When the weather forecast has not been shared, when did the BCCI become a weather expert," he added.

Meanwhile, the final of the ongoing IPL 2025 is scheduled to be played on June 3. Four teams - Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings, and Mumbai Indians - have booked their spots in the playoffs.