The 19th edition of the world’s biggest T20 league will begin with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad….reports Asian Lite News
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced the schedule for the first phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, to be played from March 28 to April 12, 2026.
“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 biggest T20 league on the globe will commence with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
During this period, the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
The first double-header of the season will take place on April 4, 2026, when Delhi Capitals face Mumbai Indians in the afternoon match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, followed by Gujarat Titans taking on Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Rajasthan Royals will begin their home campaign in Guwahati, where they will host Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Punjab Kings (PBKS), meanwhile, will play their early home fixtures at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh.
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 Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur.
BCCI also said that “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.”
Kohli Revs Up
Star Indian batter Virat Kohli has begun preparations for the upcoming Indian Premier League 2026 season, with videos of the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain training in the nets going viral on social media.
In a reel shared on Instagram by Kohli, the 37-year-old was seen working intensively during a practice session, focusing on batting as he gears up for the new season of the IPL. The clip quickly drew attention from fans, who flooded the comments with excitement ahead of the tournament.
The right-handed batter has amassed 8661 runs in 267 matches and 259 innings in IPL history. Kohli has an average of 39.54 and a strike rate of 132.85. The former RCB captain has smashed eight centuries and 63 half-centuries in the tournament’s history.
In the 2025 edition, the veteran batter hammered 657 runs in 15 matches at an average of 54.75, where he played a key role in helping Bengaluru to lift their maiden title in IPL history. Kohli struck eight half-centuries and had a good strike rate of 144.71.
On March 8, broadcaster Star Sports confirmed that the upcoming season of the IPL will officially kick off on March 28. It is to be noted that the fixtures of the IPL 2026 edition are yet to be announced by the IPL.
RCB are the defending champions. The Bengaluru-based franchise defeated Punjab Kings in the 2025 edition summit clash by six runs in Ahmedabad.
Earlier this month, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Secretary, Santosh Menon, confirmed that the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will host five of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 home games. He also confirmed that the venue will host the IPL 2026 final, along with one of the play-off matches in the tournament.
Notably, RCB’s remaining two home matches of their IPL 2026 campaign will be held at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
Cricket at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium had been suspended since June last year after 11 people died and several were injured in a stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL 2025 title celebration, with the stadium not hosting its share of ICC Women’s World Cup fixtures and got no matches for the recently-concluded ICC T20 World Cup either.
Even the domestic and state franchise-based tournaments had been affected by this suspension placed on the iconic venue.
