Indian Premier League 2026 Schedule: RCB vs SRH to open season as BCCI unveils first phase; check full match list

India’s cricket calendar has barely caught its breath after the T20 World Cup celebrations, and the next blockbuster is already lining up its opening act.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced the schedule for the first phase of the TATA IPL 2026, confirming 20 matches between March 28 and April 12 across 10 venues. The remainder of the tournament calendar will be announced later once the Election Commission releases the dates for upcoming Assembly elections in several states.

Also Read: IPL 2026 First Match: RCB vs SRH to kick off season in Bengaluru on March 28


The 19th edition of the league will begin with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28. The opening weekend will quickly move to Mumbai, where Mumbai Indians take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium on March 29.

IPL 2026 will also be the biggest season in the tournament’s history, expanding to 84 matches instead of the usual 74 and stretching the cricketing carnival even further across the Indian summer.

The opening phase alone will feature games in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. Four double-headers are scheduled during this stretch, with afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and evening games starting at 07:30 PM IST.

The first double-header of the season will be played on April 4, 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 in Ahmedabad later that evening.

Rajasthan Royals will begin their home campaign in Guwahati, where they host Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, while Punjab Kings will play their early home fixtures at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh.

For Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the new season begins under a very different spotlight. After finally lifting their maiden IPL trophy last year, the defending champions return not as hopeful challengers but as the team everyone else will be chasing.

Main schedule: first 20 matches of IPL 2026

RCB vs SRH – March 28, 2026 (Saturday), Evening – Bengaluru

MI vs KKR – March 29, 2026 (Sunday), Evening – Mumbai

RR vs CSK – March 30, 2026 (Monday), Evening – Guwahati

PBKS vs GT – March 31, 2026 (Tuesday), Evening – Mullanpur

LSG vs DC – April 1, 2026 (Wednesday), Evening – Lucknow

KKR vs SRH – April 2, 2026 (Thursday), Evening – Kolkata

CSK vs PBKS – April 3, 2026 (Friday), Evening – Chennai

DC vs MI – April 4, 2026 (Saturday), Afternoon – Delhi

GT vs RR – April 4, 2026 (Saturday), Evening – Ahmedabad

SRH vs LSG – April 5, 2026 (Sunday), Afternoon – Hyderabad

RCB vs CSK – April 5, 2026 (Sunday), Evening – Bengaluru

KKR vs PBKS – April 6, 2026 (Monday), Evening – Kolkata

RR vs MI – April 7, 2026 (Tuesday), Evening – Guwahati

DC vs GT – April 8, 2026 (Wednesday), Evening – Delhi

KKR vs LSG – April 9, 2026 (Thursday), Evening – Kolkata

RR vs RCB – April 10, 2026 (Friday), Evening – Guwahati

PBKS vs SRH – April 11, 2026 (Saturday), Afternoon – Mullanpur

CSK vs DC – April 11, 2026 (Saturday), Evening – Chennai

LSG vs GT – April 12, 2026 (Sunday), Afternoon – Lucknow

MI vs RCB – April 12, 2026 (Sunday), Evening – Mumbai

During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will host four matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will split their home fixtures between Guwahati (three) and Jaipur (four).

Matches scheduled in Bengaluru remain subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka, which will conduct an inspection of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 13, including a full-scale mock demonstration of match-day arrangements to assess readiness for hosting IPL fixtures.