Sat | Feb 28, 2026

Dates finally announced for 2026 IPL season

Published:Saturday | February 28, 2026 | 12:08 AM
Royal Challengers’ Bengalaru’s Josh Hazlewood (second right) celebrates the dismissal of Pubjab Jings’ Azmatullah Omarzai with teammates during the Indian Premier League Qualifier 1 cricket match at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium in Mohali
AP
Royal Challengers’ Bengalaru’s Josh Hazlewood (second right) celebrates the dismissal of Pubjab Jings’ Azmatullah Omarzai with teammates during the Indian Premier League Qualifier 1 cricket match at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium in Mohali, India, on Thursday, May 29, 2025.

NEW DELHI, India (CMC):

The 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to bowl off on March 28, two days later than the original announced date by the BCCI.

According to a report from ESPNcricinfo, the IPL had informed the franchises on December 15, 2025, that the 2026 edition would start on March 26, but a decision was subsequently made to change the start date to March 28 and have the final on May 31.

It is understood that the IPL Governing Council will meet next week to finalise the plan for releasing the schedule, which has been delayed because the dates for assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have not been announced yet.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the defending champions in the IPL.

While Kolkata (in West Bengal) and Chennai (in Tamil Nadu) are the home bases for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) respectively, Assam’s capital Guwahati is the second venue for Rajasthan Royals (RR).

The IPL Governing Council is also expected to discuss where the opening match of the tournament will be played, as it will feature defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Following the stampede during RCB’s victory celebrations at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium last June, which resulted in the death of 11 fans, RCB has been involved in discussions with the Karnataka State Cricket Association on whether the team’s seven home matches would be played at the venue or be moved somewhere else.

RCB had shortlisted a few alternative venues, including Navi Mumbai, Raipur and Pune.