India shift hotel ahead of T20 World Cup final to overcome Ahmedabad jinx: report
India may as well swap home dressing room for that of touring side to change scenery, report says
AHMEDABAD: Co-hosts and defending champions India made several superstitious changes, including shifting the hotel, ahead of their ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand, Indian media reported on Saturday.
The Men In Blue are set to lock horns with the Blackcaps in the summit clash of the 20-team tournament on Sunday here at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the venue at which they suffered two historic defeats against Australia in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 final and at the hands of South Africa in the Super Eights fixture of the ongoing mega event.
Consequently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is committed to leaving no stone unturned in giving the home side the best chance of winning the T20 World Cup 2026 and thus, has reportedly shifted their team hotel to overcome the 'jinx'.
The report further claimed that India may as well swap the home side's dressing room for that of the visitors to change the scenery of the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Notably, the potential changes add to India's superstitious approach during the ongoing tournament, as the report further claimed that they delayed their training session at the Wankhede Stadium for the semi-final against England to avoid the "ill-effects" of the Lunar Eclipse.
As per the report, the impending decisions are being viewed as an attempt by the management to clear any mental blocks of their players associated with the venue.
It further suggested that by changing the hotel and dressing room, the Indian management aims to treat the upcoming fixture as a "neutral game" to shrug off the burden of historical setbacks at the venue.
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