Not Chinnaswamy, Ranji Trophy final to be held at KSCA Hubballi stadium

Bengaluru

The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has announced that the Ranji Trophy Final for the 2025–26 season between Karnataka and Jammu & Kashmir will be hosted at the KSCA Hubballi Cricket Stadium from Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

The Association had the option of staging the prestigious domestic final at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru or at the KSCA Hubballi Cricket Stadium. After detailed consultations and evaluation, KSCA, in coordination with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, decided to allot the summit clash to Hubballi.

The decision comes amid extensive infrastructure and safety enhancement works currently underway at the Bengaluru venue. Acting on recommendations of an Expert Committee and statutory authorities, several spectator gates and access points at the Chinnaswamy Stadium are being dismantled and widened, along with other critical upgrades. KSCA said these ongoing works would have made it difficult to ensure optimal spectator convenience and match-day experience for a marquee fixture such as the Ranji Trophy Final.

The move also aligns with the vision of the newly elected KSCA Managing Committee, which assumed office in December 2025 under the leadership of former India cricketer and KSCA President Venkatesh Prasad. As part of its manifesto commitments, the committee had resolved to take major domestic and national-level matches to prominent mofussil centres across Karnataka to promote cricket beyond Bengaluru and strengthen regional fan engagement.

KSCA expressed confidence that cricket fans from the Hubballi–Dharwad region and neighbouring districts will turn out in large numbers to witness the high-profile domestic final.