Although the T20 World Cup 2026 is done, fans have more T20 action waiting in the wings as the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin on March 28. The schedule for the 19th edition has reportedly been unveiled with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) locking horns against the SunRisers Hyderabad at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. The next two matches will be between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders followed by Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.
Why will IPL 2026 schedule be announced in two phases?
Earlier, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia had told ANI:
“We will announce the first 20-day schedule of IPL in 2 or 3 days after considering the election dates in a few states and will announce the rest of the tournament schedule later.”
The reason for the announcement of schedule is happening in two phases due to the forthcoming assembly state elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Hence, the initial schedule is only be for the first 20 day of the lucrative event.
| Match No. | Date | Day | Match | Venue |
| 1 | March 28 | Saturday | RCB vs SRH | Bengaluru |
| 2 | March 29 | Sunday | MI vs KKR | Mumbai |
| 3 | March 30 | Monday | RR vs CSK | Guwahati |
| 4 | March 31 | Tuesday | PBKS vs GT | Mullanpur |
| 5 | April 1 | Wednesday | LSG vs DC | Lucknow |
| 6 | April 2 | Thursday | KKR vs SRH | Kolkata |
| 7 | April 3 | Friday | CSK vs PBKS | Chennai |
| 8 | April 4 | Saturday | DC vs MI | Delhi |
| 9 | April 4 | Saturday | GT vs RR | Ahmedabad |
| 10 | April 5 | Sunday | SRH vs LSG | Hyderabad |
| 11 | April 5 | Sunday | RCB vs CSK | Bengaluru |
| 12 | April 6 | Monday | KKR vs PBKS | Kolkata |
| 13 | April 7 | Tuesday | RR vs MI | Guwahati |
| 14 | April 8 | Wednesday | DC vs GT | Delhi |
| 15 | April 9 | Thursday | KKR vs LSG | Kolkata |
| 16 | April 10 | Friday | RR vs RCB | Guwahati |
| 17 | April 11 | Saturday | PBKS vs SRH | Mullanpur |
| 18 | April 11 | Saturday | CSK vs DC | Chennai |
| 19 | April 12 | Sunday | LSG vs GT | Lucknow |
| 20 | April 12 | Sunday | MI vs RCB | Mumbai |
Will Royal Challengers Bengaluru start as favourites again?
In what was a landmark IPL 2025 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), they got to lay their hands on the coveted trophy for the first time in 18 years. But given the level of competition, will they start as favourites again? Only Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have successfully defended their trophy in IPL history.
Nevertheless, Bengaluru have purchased some good players after retaining their core that won them the trophy in 2025. Bengaluru’s most expensive buy of the auction was Venkatesh Iyer, who fetched ₹7.00 crore. The other players purchased by them were Mangesh Yadav, Jacob Duffy, Jordan Cox, Satwik Deswal, Kanishk Chauhan, Vihaan Malhotra, Vicky Ostwal.
