The IPL 2026 schedule covers 84 matches across 10 teams. The League will start on 28th March, and the IPL 2026 final will be played on May 31, 2026, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The number of league matches has been increased from 74 to 84 this time. All 10 teams will play home and away games in the league stage before the top four qualify for the playoffs.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru enters the tournament as the defending champions, having won their first-ever title in IPL 2025. RCB defeated the Punjab Kings in last year’s final.
Quick Facts
| Start Date | March 28, 2026 |
| Final Date | May 31, 2026 — Bengaluru |
| Total Matches | 84 matches (expanded from 74 in 2025) |
| Teams | 10 franchises (same as 2025 season) |
| Defending Champions | Royal Challengers Bengaluru (maiden title, 2025) |
| Title Sponsor | TATA Group (renewed 2024–2028 for ₹2,500 crore) |
| TV Broadcaster | Star Sports Network |
| Streaming | JioHotstar (4K, free tier available) |
| Match Times | 3:30 PM IST (afternoon) • 7:30 PM IST (evening) |
| Schedule Release | Two parts — delayed by pending state election dates (WB, TN, Assam) |
IPL 2026 Full Schedule, Fixture Table & Match Dates
| Match No | Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 28, Saturday | RCB vs SRH | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| 2 | March 29, Sunday | MI vs KKR | Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
| 3 | March 30, Monday | RR vs CSK | Guwahati | 7:30 PM |
| 4 | March 31, Tuesday | PBKS vs GT | Mullanpur | 7:30 PM |
| 5 | April 1, Wednesday | LSG vs DC | Lucknow | 7:30 PM |
| 6 | April 2, Thursday | KKR vs SRH | Kolkata | 7:30 PM |
| 7 | April 3, Friday | CSK vs PBKS | Chennai | 7:30 PM |
| 8 | April 4, Saturday | DC vs MI | Delhi | 3:30 PM |
| 9 | April 4, Saturday | GT vs RR | Ahmedabad | 7:30 PM |
| 10 | April 5, Sunday | SRH vs LSG | Hyderabad | 3:30 PM |
| 11 | April 5, Sunday | RCB vs CSK | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| 12 | April 6, Monday | KKR vs PBKS | Kolkata | 7:30 PM |
| 13 | April 7, Tuesday | RR vs MI | Guwahati | 7:30 PM |
| 14 | April 8, Wednesday | DC vs GT | Delhi | 7:30 PM |
| 15 | April 9, Thursday | KKR vs LSG | Kolkata | 7:30 PM |
| 16 | April 10, Friday | RR vs RCB | Guwahati | 7:30 PM |
| 17 | April 11, Saturday | PBKS vs SRH | Mullanpur | 3:30 PM |
| 18 | April 11, Saturday | CSK vs DC | Chennai | 7:30 PM |
| 19 | April 12, Sunday | LSG vs GT | Lucknow | 3:30 PM |
| 20 | April 12, Sunday | MI vs RCB | Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
ALSO READ: Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL 2026: Auction Buys, Full Squad & Playing XI
IPL 2026 Teams
Group A
| Team | Home Venue | City |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium | Bengaluru |
| Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) | Eden Gardens | Kolkata |
| Rajasthan Royals (RR) | Sawai Mansingh Stadium | Jaipur |
| Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | MA Chidambaram Stadium | Chennai |
| Punjab Kings (PBKS) | PCA New Stadium, Mullanpur | Mohali |
Group B
| Team | Home Venue | City |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium | Hyderabad |
| Delhi Capitals (DC) | Arun Jaitley Stadium | Delhi |
| Gujarat Titans (GT) | Narendra Modi Stadium | Ahmedabad |
| Mumbai Indians (MI) | Wankhede Stadium | Mumbai |
| Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) | BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium | Lucknow |
IPL 2026 Venues
The complete TATA IPL 2026 fixtures list includes home-and-away matches across all stadiums. Most teams will play at their designated grounds, but a few franchises face venue issues. Of these, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru have faced the most trouble. As 11 fans lost their lives in a stampede during the title-winning celebrations at RCB’s home ground, Chinnaswamy Stadium. This tragedy casts doubt over whether the club could continue hosting matches at Chinnaswamy.
However, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru recently got permission to play 5 matches at their home ground, Chinnaswamy Stadium. While their remaining 2 home matches will be held in Raipur (Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium).
Apart from RCB, the Rajasthan Royals have also faced uncertainty regarding their home ground for the past few months. However, good news for Rajasthan Royals fans as last week the franchise received approval to host 4 matches in Jaipur. The remaining 3 home matches will played at the ACA Stadium, Barsapara, Guwahati, which was already used by Royals as their home ground in the past as well.
IPL 2026 Timetable
| Match Type | Toss Time (IST) | Match Start Time (IST) |
| Day Matches | 3:00 PM | 3:30 PM |
| Night Matches | 7:00 PM | 7:30 PM |
ALSO READ: Mumbai Indians IPL 2026: Auction Buys, Full Squad & Playing XI
How to Watch IPL 2026 Live
Star Sports Network holds the official TV broadcast rights for IPL 2026 in India. Fans can watch English commentary on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD channels. While Hindi commentary will be available on Star Sports 1 Hindi and Star Sports 1 Hindi HD channels. Star Sports also broadcasts in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali languages on dedicated regional channels.
Furthermore, JioHotstar is the official digital streaming partner for IPL 2026 in India. So IPL fans can enjoy live streaming on JioHotstar – a free tier is available. On JioHotstar, fans also have the option to set the commentary in their regional language by selecting it in the match settings. They can enjoy the commentary in other major Indian languages apart from Hindi and English.
Apart from this, IPL is the most popular cricket league not only in India but in the world. It is broadcast almost all over the world. So, cricket fans of other countries can also watch it on their respective TV broadcasters or live streaming platforms, which are given below:
| Country/Region | TV Broadcaster | Live Streaming |
| India | Star Sports Network | JioHotstar |
| South Africa/Zimbabwe/Sub-Saharan African Countries | SuperSport | SuperSport App |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport NZ | Sky Go NZ |
| Sri Lanka | SLRC Channel | Dialog TV |
| United Kingdom/Ireland | Sky Sports | Sky Go, Now TV |
| UAE/Qatar/Middle East Countries | CricLife | BeIN Sports |
| Caribbean Countries | Rush Sports | Flow Sports App |
| USA/Canada | Willow TV | Willow TV |
| North America | BeIN Sports | BeIN Sports |
IPL 2026 Schedule: Why Has the Release Been Delayed?
The Indian Board had delayed releasing the Tata IPL 2026 fixtures due to elections in India, specifically the assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Here are the details of those IPL editions when, due to elections, there was a delay from the side of the BCCI in releasing the IPL schedule.
IPL 2009: In the second edition of the Indian Premier League, the BCCI faced a major challenge in organising the IPL. IPL 2009 was scheduled to be played from 19 April to 23 May, but general elections were being held in India at the same time. Due to this, the BCCI had to shift the entire league to South Africa. This was the only occasion in IPL history when no IPL match was played in India.
IPL 2014: In IPL 2014, once again, the BCCI was facing difficulty in organising IPL in India due to the election polling scheduled in nine phases. In such a situation, the BCCI came up with a very interesting solution as the board divided the league into two phases. According to which the first 20 matches of the league, which were played between 16th April and 30 April, were held in the United Arab Emirates.
While the rest of the IPL matches, which were from 2nd May to 1st June, were held in India. During this period, elections continued to be held in India. The Indian Board was also praised for the good approach adopted to host the IPL in India in 2014.
IPL 2019: The 2019 edition ran from 23 March to 12 May, clashing with the seven-phase general elections held from 11 April to 19 May. But despite the general elections, the IPL was played entirely in a home-away format. This is where the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) once again adopted a smart move to complete the IPL without any issues.
IPL 2024: In 2024, when general elections were to be held in India, the BCCI announced the schedule only for the first two weeks firstly. After the polling dates were finalised, the remaining schedule was arranged in such a way that no matches clashed with each other. Initially, it seemed that some matches of the league might be shifted outside the country, like in IPL 2014. The Board successfully organised the entire tournament within the country, which was definitely praiseworthy.
IPL Schedule Adjustments During Indian Election Years (2009–2024)
| Year | Solutions |
| 2009 | Due to the general elections in India, the entire league was held in South Africa. |
| 2014 | The Indian board shifted the first 20 matches to the UAE, while the rest of the tournament was held in India. |
| 2019 | After the election dates were confirmed, the BCCI released the schedule in such a way that the entire league was played in home and away format without any hassle. |
| 2024 | The board first released a two-week schedule. After the election date was confirmed, the schedule for the remaining league was designed in a way so that it did not clash with the election. |
IPL 2026 Schedule — FAQ
1. When does IPL 2026 start?
IPL 2026 will start on March 28, 2026, and the opening match of the season will be held in Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
2. When is the IPL 2026 final?
The IPL 2026 final will be played on May 31, 2026, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
3. How many matches are in IPL 2026?
IPL fans will be happy to know that the IPL 2026 will have a total of 84 matches. This is an increase from the 74 matches of the previous season (IPL 2025).
4. Which teams are in IPL 2026?
The IPL 2026 season will present the same 10 teams that have been facing against each other since the league added two new teams in 2022. The ten teams are CSK, RCB, DC, RR, MI, SRH, KKR, PBKS, LSG, and GT.
5. Where can I watch IPL 2026?
Star Sports has the official TV broadcast rights for IPL 2026 in India. Therefore, fans can watch matches in English commentary on their channels, Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD. While Hindi commentary will be available on Star Sports 1 Hindi and Star Sports 1 Hindi HD. Moreover, JioHotstar is the official digital streaming partner for IPL 2026 in India.
6. What time do IPL 2026 matches start?
Match timings remain the same as last season. That will be 7:30 PM (IST) for the evening matches, and the afternoon matches will start at 3:30 PM (IST).
7. Who are the IPL 2026 defending champions?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the defending IPL champions. They defeated the Punjab Kings by 6 runs in the final of the IPL 2025.
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