The opening match of IPL 2026 will feature Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The game will be played at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The Indian Premier League will begin its 2026 season on March 28.
RCB enter the season as the defending champions. This will be the seventh time they are playing the opening match of an IPL season, but it is the first time they are doing it as champions.
The stadium recently received approval from the Government of Karnataka to host IPL games again. This came after a tragic stampede in June 2025 during RCB’s title celebration where 11 people lost their lives. Before the tournament begins, an expert committee will inspect the stadium and conduct a mock match-day test on March 13, 2026 to check safety arrangements.
The second match of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians play Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The first weekend of the season will not have any double-header matches.
The league has released the schedule for the first 20 matches only. These games include four double-headers, which will take place on the weekends of April 4–5 and April 11–12. Every team will play four matches during this first phase.
The schedule is being released in two parts because several states are holding elections, including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Assam. Teams like Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Rajasthan Royals have home venues in these states, so the league decided to announce the fixtures step by step.
Some teams will also use secondary home grounds this season. RCB will play two matches in Raipur, while Punjab Kings will host three matches in Dharamsala. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals will play three early-season matches in Guwahati. They then returned to their main home ground, Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
Opening Match of IPL 2026 between RCB and SRH Sets the Stage
The opening match of IPL 2026 will be between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad. The game will be played in Bengaluru, starting the new season.
In the 2025 IPL season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru finished the league stage in second place with 19 points in 14 matches. This strong finish helped them reach Qualifier 1 and later win the IPL title. In away matches, they stayed unbeaten for most of the tournament.
Virat Kohli scored an important half-century in a must-win game against Lucknow Super Giants. Krunal Pandya also scored an unbeaten 73 that helped RCB chase a tough target against Delhi Capitals.
The bowling attack was led by Josh Hazlewood, who often gave early wickets to the team. His spell of 4 wickets for 33 runs against Rajasthan Royals showed how important he was. In the middle order, Jitesh Sharma played a strong innings of 85 not out against Lucknow Super Giants. It helped the team secure a place in the playoffs.
For Sunrisers Hyderabad, the 2025 season went in a different direction. The team finished with 13 points from 14 matches, recording 6 wins, 7 losses, and one no-result. This meant they missed the playoffs, even though they had reached the final in 2024.
One of their best performers was Heinrich Klaasen, who scored 487 runs in 13 innings and even made a brilliant 105 not out in the final league game. Captain Pat Cummins led the bowling attack and finished the season with 16 wickets in 14 matches.
Abhishek Sharma showed his attacking ability with a huge 141-run innings. A positive surprise for the team was Eshan Malinga, who took 13 wickets in only seven matches with an impressive economy rate.
Sunrisers Hyderabad started the season in a very strong way by scoring 286 runs in one match. It was one of the highest totals in IPL history. Even though they won four of their last six matches, the comeback came too late and they could not reach the playoffs.
FAQs
Q. When will the Indian Premier League 2026 season begin?
A. The new season will start on March 28, 2026.
Q. How did Royal Challengers Bengaluru perform in the 2025 IPL season?
A. Royal Challengers Bengaluru finished second in the league stage with 19 points and later went on to win the IPL title.
Q. How did Sunrisers Hyderabad perform in the 2025 IPL season?
A. Sunrisers Hyderabad finished with 13 points from 14 matches and did not qualify for the playoffs.
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