Chennai has lost out on hosting Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 final due to the long-standing issue surrounding the empty stands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium has been selected to host the big final on May 12.
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has not been given permission to open the I, J and K stands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The TNCA has not been able to produce fit certificate for the three stands since 2012. The three stands, with a capacity of close to 8,000 fans, has remained closed over the last few seasons.
“We had to shift the matches from Chennai to Hyderabad after TNCA intimated us that they have not procured the requisite permission to open the three stands I, J and K,” Committee of Administrators (CoA) chief Vinod Rai told PTI on Monday.
“Since the gate sales of the knock-out matches is BCCI’s prerogative, we had to take a call. We would be having two knock-out matches in Vizag,” he added.
Qualifier 1 will take place in Chennai on May 7 followed by the Eliminator (May 8) and Qualifier 2 (May 10) in Visakhapatnam. The final will be staged in Hyderabad on May 12.
The complete schedule for the IPL 2019 playoffs and final is as follows:
| Date | Match | Venue |
| 7th May | Qualifier 1 Team 1 vs Team 2 | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| 8th May | Eliminator Team 3 vs Team 4 | Dr. Y.S.R Reddy ACA VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam |
| 10th May | Qualifier 2 Winner of Eliminator vs Loser of Qualifier 1 | Dr. Y.S.R Reddy ACA VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam |
| 12th May | Final Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2 | Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad |
