BCCI Announces First Phase Schedule For IPL 2026 Starting March 28

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the schedule for the first phase of the Indian Premier League 2026 season, which will be played from March 28 to April 12. The announcement was made through an official release by the BCCI.

The 19th edition of the world’s biggest T20 league will begin with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The opening phase of the tournament will feature 20 matches across 10 venues.

The venues for the first phase include Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

According to the BCCI, the full schedule of the tournament has not yet been announced because three Indian states will hold State Assembly elections during the same period. The remaining fixtures will be revealed once the election dates are officially confirmed.

During the first phase, the IPL will include four double-headers. Afternoon matches will begin at 03:30 PM IST, while evening matches will start at 07:30 PM IST.

Following the opening game on March 28, Mumbai Indians will face Kolkata Knight Riders in the second match of the season at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.

The first double-header of the IPL 2026 season will take place on April 4. In the afternoon match, Delhi Capitals will play against Mumbai Indians at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Later in the evening, Gujarat Titans will face Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Rajasthan Royals will start their home campaign in Guwahati, where they are scheduled to host Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians in the early part of the tournament. Punjab Kings will play their initial home matches at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh.

The BCCI also confirmed the home venue distribution for some franchises during the season. Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and two matches in Raipur. Punjab Kings will host four games in New Chandigarh and three matches in Dharamshala. Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati before hosting four matches in Jaipur later in the tournament.

However, matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to final approval from the Expert Committee formed by the Government of Karnataka. The committee will inspect the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 13 and conduct a full-scale mock demonstration of match-day arrangements to assess the venue’s readiness to host IPL fixtures.

The inspection follows the suspension of cricket activities at the stadium after a stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 title celebration, which resulted in several casualties and injuries.