New Delhi, March 11 (UNI) The Indian Premier League(IPL) will return with its 19th edition from March 28 onwards, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening match after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled the schedule for the first phase of the 2026 edition on Wednesday.
The first phase of the tournament will be played from March 28 to April 12 and will feature 20 matches across 10 venues- Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
The BCCI had delayed the release of the tournament schedule while awaiting clarity on the timeline of state elections before finalising logistical arrangements. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had earlier indicated that the schedule would be announced in two phases, keeping in mind the upcoming assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
RCB will launch their title defence at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in a southern derby against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The venue was recently cleared to host IPL matches after months of uncertainty.
Earlier this month, the stadium received permission to stage matches for IPL 2026, bringing an end to the uncertainty that followed a tragic stampede on June 4, 2025, during celebrations of RCB’s maiden IPL title triumph after 18 attempts. The incident had claimed 11 lives and led to a blanket ban on events at the venue.
Since the incident, the stadium had not hosted any major domestic competitions, including the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy or the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20.
Following the latest clearances, the stadium is scheduled to host five of RCB’s home matches during IPL 2026, while the remaining two home fixtures will be played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium.
However, the BCCI added a note regarding the Bengaluru fixtures, stating that they remain subject to final inspection by the state authorities.
“The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka. The committee will conduct a meeting and inspection of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 13, 2026, during which a full-scale mock demonstration of match-day arrangements will be carried out to assess the stadium’s preparedness for hosting IPL matches,” the BCCI said.
During the first phase of the tournament, four double-headers will be played, with afternoon matches starting at 03:30 pm IST and evening matches beginning at 07:30 pm IST.
Following the opening match on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will face Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
The first double-header of the season will be held on April 4, when Delhi Capitals take on Mumbai Indians in the afternoon match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, followed by Gujarat Titans facing Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in the evening.
Rajasthan Royals will begin their home campaign in Guwahati(which is their second home ground besides Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur), where they are set to host matches against Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.
Meanwhile, Punjab Kings will play their early home fixtures at the PCA Stadium.
Overall, RCB will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings are scheduled to play four home games in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will host three matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur.
