The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 edition is all but certain to begin on March 28, with the final scheduled for May 31. Earlier, the upcoming season of the tournament was scheduled to begin on March 26, but the plans have changed, and the 19th edition will begin two days later. Sources privy to developments confirmed the development on Friday evening.
“Yes, there’s been a change in plans. The IPL 2026 season is now most likely to begin two days later, on March 28. There is no change to the date for the final; it will go ahead on May 31,” a source confirmed to Hindustan Times Digital.
Just one month remains before the cash-rich league gets underway, but the schedule has yet to be announced. It is now common knowledge that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was waiting for the Election Commission to announce the dates for the assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and Rajasthan Royals (RR) are the franchises affected by the poll dates. Eden Gardens and MA Chidambaram Stadium are the home venues for KKR and CSK, while Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati is supposed to be the second home venue for the Royals.
However, it’s not known when the announcement will come; hence, it is believed the Indian board may announce the schedule for the IPL 2026 season in two halves. Ever since the first season of the competition in 2008, the governing council has announced the schedule in two parts whenever there are elections around the corner. The same happened in 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2024.
The 2009 season was played entirely in South Africa, while the first half of the 2014 edition took place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the tournament returned to India for the second leg.
RCB’s home venue not confirmed yet
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to play the tournament opener, and, according to the guidelines, the previous edition’s winners host the season opener. However, whether the M Chinnaswamy Stadium hosts the first match of the 19th season of the IPL needs to be seen.
The IPL governing council is expected to meet in the coming days to decide the future course of action. The Karnataka government has given permission to both the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore to host RCB’s home matches at Chinnaswamy, but the franchise is yet to take a final call.
Chinnaswamy hasn’t hosted a single game ever since the stampede last year, which killed 11 people during RCB’s victory celebrations.
The IPL 2025 season was won by RCB, which defeated Punjab Kings in the summit clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
