The Indian Premier League 2026 will begin on March 28. The announcement was made during the T20 World Cup 2026 final between India and New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
Fans are still waiting for the full fixture list. The BCCI has not released the complete schedule yet but confirmed that it will be announced soon.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the first part of the schedule will be out within the next few days. The board plans to release the schedule in phases.
“We will announce the first 20-day schedule of IPL in 2 or 3 days after considering the election dates in a few states and will announce the rest of the tournament schedule later,” Saikia told ANI.
The phased release is because of assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The BCCI wants to avoid clashes with polling dates and security arrangements in these states.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will enter the season as defending champions. They won their maiden IPL title in 2025 after beating Punjab Kings by six runs in the final in Ahmedabad.
M Chinnaswamy Stadium will host five RCB home matches this season. The venue will also stage the IPL 2026 final and one playoff game.
Two of RCB’s home games will be played in Raipur. The move adds another venue to the league schedule and spreads matches across different cities.
Some teams have already started preparing for the season. Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad began their pre-season training camps earlier this week.
The new season will also see the return of some of India’s biggest stars. MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are set to play for their IPL teams again this year.
All three were present at the T20 World Cup 2026 final in Ahmedabad, where the IPL 2026 start date was confirmed.
With the tournament just weeks away, fans now wait for the detailed fixture list that will decide the opening match and early rivalries.