The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has released the schedule for the initial phase of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, which includes matches to be held from March 28 to April 12. However, contrary to some reports, the full schedule or matches for the second phase have not been officially announced yet. The remaining league matches will be announced later once the election dates in the affected states are finalised.
The 19th season of IPL will have 84 league matches and will run till May 31, 2026. The first 20 matches will be played across 10 venues, including Bengaluru (opening match: RCB vs SRH on March 28), Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Lucknow.
As the tournament moves towards its decisive phase, teams will battle it out for a place in the playoffs. Punjab Kings will play their home matches mainly in New Chandigarh (four matches) and Dharamshala (three matches). Rajasthan Royals will split their home matches between Jaipur and Guwahati, while Royal Challengers Bangalore will play the majority of their home matches in Bengaluru, with a few additional matches in Raipur.
Double-headers (two matches on the same day) are planned this season, with afternoon matches at 3:30 PM IST and evening matches at 7:30 PM IST. The venues of the playoffs, including the final, are expected to be confirmed later (according to rumours, the final and one playoff match may be held in Bengaluru).
For Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the opening matches have been confirmed:
– March 30: RR vs CSK (Guwahati)
– April 3: CSK vs PBKS (Chennai)
– April 5: RCB vs CSK (Bengaluru)
– April 11: CSK vs DC (Chennai)
Other big fixtures like MI vs CSK and additional matches of CSK vs RCB come in that phase which has not been announced yet. Fans should rely only on the official channels of BCCI and IPL for correct information as the race for the playoffs is expected to witness some great cricket in the second half of the season.
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