Former India captain and ex-Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly is hopeful that the Indian Premier League 2025 final will happen in Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens Stadium. The former BCCI president, Ganguly, expressed optimism about the Eden Gardens keeping its date with the IPL final and said CAB shares an “excellent relationship” with the game’s all-powerful apex body.
“We’re trying — talking to the BCCI,” Ganguly said when asked about the possibility of Eden Gardens hosting the final as per the original schedule.
The BCCI is yet to officially confirm the venues for the IPL playoffs after the resumption, post a one-week halt due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. The rescheduled league fixtures were announced after the tournament was halted on May 8.
“Is it that easy to shift the final? It’s Eden’s Playoffs, and I’m sure everything will be sorted. I’m very hopeful,” said the former India captain.
A section of people also staged a protest outside the stadium on Friday, demanding that the IPL final be staged in Kolkata. “Protest doesn’t help much. BCCI has a very good relationship with the Cricket Association of Bengal,” said Ganguly to PTI.
The Cricket Association of Bengal is led by Snehasish Ganguly, who is Sourav Ganguly’s brother. He is the current president of CAB.
Responding to the delay in finalising the playoffs venues, Ganguly said, “Kolkata has finished its league matches, so Eden is not there in the first list.”
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Eden Gardens was awarded the final after Kolkata Knight Riders won the title in 2024. The venue also hosted the opening match of the 2025 edition and was originally supposed to host Qualifier 2 on May 23 and the final on May 25. However, the tournament schedule was pushed back by a week, with the final now scheduled for June 3 instead of May 25.
KKR were eliminated from IPL 2025 after their match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium was washed out.
(With inputs from PTI)
