NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League 2026 will get underway with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 28.The schedule for the first phase of the tournament — from March 28 to April 12 — was announced on Wednesday by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“As three states are scheduled to undergo State Assembly elections during this period, the full schedule of the tournament will be announced once the poll dates are announced,” BCCI said in a statement.The 19th edition of the world’s biggest T20 league will feature 20 matches in the first phase across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.During this phase, the tournament will feature four double-headers, with afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and evening games starting at 07:30 PM IST.The first double-header of the season will take place on April 4, when Delhi Capitals take on Mumbai Indians in the afternoon match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, followed by Gujarat Titans facing Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.Rajasthan Royals will start their home campaign in Guwahati, where they will host Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Punjab Kings, meanwhile, will play their early home fixtures 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 split their home fixtures between Guwahati and Jaipur.BCCI also clarified that the matches scheduled in Bengaluru will depend on clearance from a government-appointed expert committee.“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.”
IPL 2026: Team-wise schedule
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Bengaluru | Evening |
| Apr 5 | Chennai Super Kings | Bengaluru | Evening |
| Apr 10 | Rajasthan Royals | Guwahati | Evening |
| Apr 12 | Mumbai Indians | Mumbai | Evening |
Mumbai Indians (MI)
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Mumbai | Evening |
| Apr 4 | Delhi Capitals | Delhi | Afternoon |
| Apr 7 | Rajasthan Royals | Guwahati | Evening |
| Apr 12 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Mumbai | Evening |
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30 | Rajasthan Royals | Guwahati | Evening |
| Apr 3 | Punjab Kings | Chennai | Evening |
| Apr 5 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Bengaluru | Evening |
| Apr 11 | Delhi Capitals | Chennai | Evening |
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29 | Mumbai Indians | Mumbai | Evening |
| Apr 2 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Kolkata | Evening |
| Apr 6 | Punjab Kings | Kolkata | Evening |
| Apr 9 | Lucknow Super Giants | Kolkata | Evening |
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30 | Chennai Super Kings | Guwahati | Evening |
| Apr 4 | Gujarat Titans | Ahmedabad | Evening |
| Apr 7 | Mumbai Indians | Guwahati | Evening |
| Apr 10 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Guwahati | Evening |
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31 | Gujarat Titans | Mullanpur | Evening |
| Apr 3 | Chennai Super Kings | Chennai | Evening |
| Apr 6 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Kolkata | Evening |
| Apr 11 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Mullanpur | Afternoon |
Delhi Capitals (DC)
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1 | Lucknow Super Giants | Lucknow | Evening |
| Apr 4 | Mumbai Indians | Delhi | Afternoon |
| Apr 8 | Gujarat Titans | Delhi | Evening |
| Apr 11 | Chennai Super Kings | Chennai | Evening |
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1 | Delhi Capitals | Lucknow | Evening |
| Apr 5 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Hyderabad | Afternoon |
| Apr 9 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Kolkata | Evening |
| Apr 12 | Gujarat Titans | Lucknow | Afternoon |
Gujarat Titans (GT)
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31 | Punjab Kings | Mullanpur | Evening |
| Apr 4 | Rajasthan Royals | Ahmedabad | Evening |
| Apr 8 | Delhi Capitals | Delhi | Evening |
| Apr 12 | Lucknow Super Giants | Lucknow | Afternoon |
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Bengaluru | Evening |
| Apr 2 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Kolkata | Evening |
| Apr 5 | Lucknow Super Giants | Hyderabad | Afternoon |
| Apr 11 | Punjab Kings | Mullanpur | Afternoon |
