The Board of Control for Cricket in India has now released almost the whole league-stage itinerary for the 2026 Indian Premier League, stopping only at the playoff venues. The regular season will run from 28 March, when holders Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) meet Sunrisers Hyderabad, through to 24 May.
Twenty games were already locked in; another fifty have now been bolted on, giving us 70 league fixtures across 12 grounds. “We wanted every home base represented while keeping travel sensible,” a senior BCCI official said in the media note.
Raipur and Dharamsala are the eye-catching returns. RCB have adopted the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh stadium as a secondary home and will host Mumbai Indians on 10 May and Kolkata Knight Riders three days later. Himachal Pradesh’s picture-postcard venue missed out last year after the Delhi Capitals–Punjab Kings match was called off amid cross-border tension. It re-opens its IPL account on 11 May with exactly the same pairing.
Eight extra double-headers bring the total to eleven, so expect the usual early-afternoon start followed by a night match on selected weekends. “Players accept the tight turnarounds; broadcasters love the full day of cricket,” former India coach WV Raman told local radio.
What we still do not know is where the knock-out phase will take place, though indications are that the final is pencilled in for 31 May. Ahmedabad and Chennai have both been mentioned, but the board is keeping its cards close for now.
Key dates at a glance
• Opening night: RCB v Sunrisers, 28 March, Bengaluru
• First Raipur fixture: RCB v Mumbai Indians, 10 May
• Dharamsala return: Punjab Kings v Delhi Capitals, 11 May
• League finale: 24 May (venue varies by team)
• Expected final: 31 May, site TBC
With the fixtures settled, squad juggling begins in earnest. Overseas players will come and go around national commitments, and managers will be praying the monsoon arrives late. All ten franchises—Titans, Super Giants, Sunrisers, Indians, Royals, Capitals, Super Kings, Kings, Knight Riders and RCB—now have the same simple brief: 14 games to finish in the top four. After that, it gets brutal very quickly.
