NEW DELHI: The opening match of IPL 2026 will be played between defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule for the first 20 days of the 2026 Indian Premier League season.“As three states are scheduled to undergo State Assembly elections during this period, the full schedule of the tournament will be announced once the polling dates are announced,” the BCCI said in a release.
Gautam Gambhir reflects on India’s World Cup win and Sanju Samson’s support in the tournament
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.“The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to approval from an 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 mock match day setup will be conducted to assess the stadium’s readiness to host IPL matches,” the BCCI said.The tournament will feature four double-headers during this period, with the afternoon matches starting at 3:30 PM IST and the evening matches starting at 7:30 PM IST.Here is the full schedule: MATCHDATEDAYTIMEVENUERCB vs SRH28-Mar-26satEveningBengaluruMI vs KKR29-Mar-26neEveningMumbaiRR vs CSK30-Mar-26MonEveningGuwahatiPBKS vs GT31-Mar-26TueEvening vMullanpurG DC1-Apr-26StEveningLucknowKKR vs SRH2-Apr-26ThuEveningKolkataCSK vs PBKS3-Apr-26FriEveningChennaiDC vs MI4-Apr-26SatAfternoonDelhiGT vs RR4-Apr-26SatE vs LSG5-Apr-26NoAfternoonHyderabadRCB vs CSK5-Apr-26NoEveningBengaluruKKR vs PBKS6-Apr-26MonEveningKolkataRR vs MI7-Apr-26TueEveningGuwahatiDC vs GTWD-Apr-KR LSG9-Apr-26ThuEveningKolkataRR vs RCB10-Apr-26FriEveningGuwahatiPBKS vs SRH11-Apr-26SatAfternoonMullanpurCSK vs DC11-Apr-26SatEveningChennaiLSG vs GT212-SunLuckMI RCB12-Apr-26evening MumbaiThe first doubleheader of the season will take place on April 4 when Delhi Capitals take on Mumbai Indians in an afternoon match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, followed by Gujarat Titans against Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.Rajasthan Royals will begin their home campaign in Guwahati, hosting Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings will play their first home matches at the PCA Stadium.During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamsala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur.
