The 19th edition of the Indian Premier League is set to kickstart on 28th March 2026 with a match between the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. In the previous edition, RCB defeated Punjab Kings in a thrilling final to lift their maiden IPL title and end their long wait for the championship. Now, Rajat Patidar and his team will begin their title defense campaign with the opening match of the season at their home ground against SRH, who will be aiming to start their campaign on a strong note.
Currently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has released the full schedule for the IPL 2026 season. A total of 10 teams will compete in 74 matches, including 70 league matches and four playoff matches, over the course of nearly two months across multiple cities in India.
Let’s have a look at the IPL 2026 Schedule for the opening matches of the season.
The 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) is scheduled to take place from March 28 to May 2026, featuring 10 teams competing across multiple venues in India. The tournament will commence with an opening match between the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Tournament Format:
Group Stage: The 10 teams are divided into two groups of five. Each team plays 14 matches—facing the other four teams in their group twice (home and away), four teams from the opposite group once, and the remaining team from the opposite group twice.
Playoffs: The top four teams from the combined points table will advance to the playoffs, which include Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2, and the Final.
IPL 2026 Schedule
Date
Day
Start
Home
Away
Venue
28-Mar
Sat
7:30 PM
RCB
SRH
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
29-Mar
Sun
7:30 PM
Mumbai
Kolkata
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
30-Mar
Mon
7:30 PM
Rajasthan
Chennai
Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
31-Mar
Tue
7:30 PM
Punjab
Gujarat
Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium, Chandigarh
1-Apr
Wed
7:30 PM
Lucknow
Delhi
Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
2-Apr
Thu
7:30 PM
Kolkata
Hyderabad
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
3-Apr
Fri
7:30 PM
Chennai
Punjab
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
4-Apr
Sat
3:30 PM
Delhi
Mumbai
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
4-Apr
Sat
7:30 PM
Gujarat
Rajasthan
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
5-Apr
Sun
3:30 PM
Hyderabad
Lucknow
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
5-Apr
Sun
7:30 PM
Bengaluru
Chennai
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
6-Apr
Mon
7:30 PM
Kolkata
Punjab
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
7-Apr
Tue
7:30 PM
Rajasthan
Mumbai
Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
8-Apr
Wed
7:30 PM
Delhi
Gujarat
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
9-Apr
Thu
7:30 PM
Kolkata
Lucknow
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
(Remaining matches will continue in the same home-and-away format across IPL venues.)
