BCCI swaps GT v CSK venues as Ahmedabad elections force April 26 move to Chennai
Chennai Super Kings will host Gujarat Titans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on April 26, and the return match in Ahmedabad has been pushed back to May 21. The BCCI has swapped the venues and kick-off times for both games after the Gujarat State Election Commission confirmed that municipal corporation elections will be held across 15 cities, including Ahmedabad, on April 26.
The original schedule had GT hosting CSK at the Narendra Modi Stadium in a 3.30pm start on April 26, with the reverse fixture set for a 7.30pm game at Chepauk on May 21. Both of those slots have now moved with the teams. The April 26 match now starts at 3.30pm in Chennai, and the May 21 meeting is a 7.30pm game in Ahmedabad.
Elections force the venue change
The Gujarat State Election Commission has scheduled voting for the local body elections on April 26, with counting two days later on April 28. Polling covers Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and several smaller cities. That makes a full house at the Narendra Modi Stadium impossible from a policing and logistics standpoint, and the BCCI has opted to protect the fixture rather than lose a day of cricket.
The swap keeps both teams on the same day of the tournament and does not disturb the rest of the IPL 2026 calendar. CSK now pick up an extra home game at a point in the season where they badly need one, while GT are handed a long home match later in the campaign at a venue that will be free of election logistics.
What it means on the pitch
For Chennai, another fixture at Chepauk is close to the best news the franchise could have asked for. They remain ninth in the IPL 2026 table after one win from four, and the MA Chidambaram pitch has been their most reliable asset across the years. Gujarat, on the other hand, lose a home day-game on an Ahmedabad surface where they have built much of their reputation, and will now have to plan for an afternoon slot in Tamil Nadu heat against a side that knows the conditions better than anyone.
Gujarat’s fixture list for the business end of the season now tilts slightly toward away travel. The tradeoff is the reverse leg under lights at the Narendra Modi Stadium on May 21, traditionally one of the stronger batting slots of the week and a venue Shubman Gill’s side have made their own. For CSK, an evening trip to Ahmedabad is a much tougher ask than an afternoon one.
Focus shifts back to tonight
The fixture swap is the bigger picture stuff. Closer to home, CSK and KKR meet at Chepauk on Tuesday evening in a match both sides need. KKR are still searching for a first win of IPL 2026, CSK only opened their account on Saturday against Delhi Capitals, and the schedule tweak for April 26 will start to matter only if Chennai keep themselves in the hunt between now and then.
Related Tags:
Cricket Updates
