The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice-President Rajeev Shukla confirmed that the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 will take place as scheduled. He further stated that the remaining match fixtures will be announced after the election dates are declared by the Election Commission of India.
Rajeev Shukla on IPL schedule
A day after the IPL schedule announcement, Shukla said the board has already released the schedule for the first phase of the tournament. The rest of the fixtures will be finalised once the election dates are confirmed for the states that will be going to the polls.
“IPL will be held as per schedule. We have already announced the schedule for 20 matches. The remaining fixtures will be released after the Election Commission announces the election dates,” Shukla told ANI.
How West Asia conflict might impact IPL 2026
Meanwhile, the ongoing West Asia conflict has created some travel concerns for players. After the T20 World Cup in India, the West Indies national cricket team had to delay their departure because several flights to the region were cancelled.
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BCCI released IPL 2026 schedule
Earlier, the BCCI released the schedule for the first phase of IPL 2026, which will be played from March 28 to April 12, according to an official statement.
Since three states are expected to hold assembly elections during this time, the board decided to announce the full schedule only after the election dates are confirmed.
Who will face RCB in IPL 2026 opener
The 19th edition of the league will begin with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Venues for IPL 2026
In the first phase, 20 matches will be played across 10 venues, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. The schedule will also include four double-headers, with afternoon games starting at 3:30 PM IST and evening matches at 7:30 PM IST.
After the opening match, Mumbai Indians will face Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
The first double-header will take place on April 4. In the afternoon game, Delhi Capitals will play against Mumbai Indians at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Later in the evening, Gujarat Titans will take on Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Rajasthan Royals will start their home campaign in Guwahati, where they will host Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Punjab Kings, on the other hand, will play their early home matches 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 have four home games in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur.
Will Chinnaswamy host IPL 2026 matches?
However, the matches planned in Bengaluru will depend on approval from an expert committee set up by the Karnataka government. The committee is scheduled to inspect the stadium on March 13, where a full mock drill of match-day arrangements will be conducted to check if the venue is ready to host IPL games.