Karnataka congress president

Karnataka State Cricket Association: Chief Minister-designate and Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar on Monday alleged that influence from Gujarat led to the shifting of the IPL final from Karnataka to Ahmedabad, depriving fans in the state of hosting the marquee match.

Speaking to reporters at his residence in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said the IPL final should have been held in Karnataka and that the state government had granted the necessary permissions. "But those from Gujarat used their influence and snatched away the match from us by shifting it to Ahmedabad," he alleged.

Shivakumar said efforts would be made to ensure that Karnataka does not lose out on hosting such major sporting events in the future. "We are making preparations so that such matches are not taken away from Karnataka in the future. It may take some time, but we are committed to strengthening our position," he said.