New Delhi: The schedule for the first phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 was announced on Wednesday, March 11. The tournament will get underway on March 28, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the season opener at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The schedule has been announced for only the first 20 fixtures of the season till April 12, due to the assembly elections lined up in multiple states in April-May this year. Five-time champions Mumbai Indians will lock horns with three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their opening game on March 29.
The remaining fixtures of the IPL 2026 season will be finalised by the BCCI only after the dates for the elections in poll-bound states of West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Assam are announced. Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will play their first game of the season against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati on Monday, March 30.
The clash promises to be a blockbuster contest, with Sanju Samson and Ravindra Jadeja facing their respective former teams in the very first game of the season. Samson and Jadeja switched teams in a mega trade deal ahead of the IPL 2026 auction last year. The deal also saw England all-rounder Sam Curran join RR from CSK.
IPL 2026 complete schedule of first phase:
| Match No. | Date | Day | Match (Home vs Away) | Venue |
| 1 | 28/03/26 | Sat | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Bengaluru |
| 2 | 29/03/26 | Sun | Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Mumbai |
| 3 | 30/03/26 | Mon | Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings | Guwahati |
| 4 | 31/03/26 | Tue | Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans | Mullanpur |
| 5 | 01/04/26 | Wed | Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals | Lucknow |
| 6 | 02/04/26 | Thu | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Kolkata |
| 7 | 03/04/26 | Fri | Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings | Chennai |
| 8 | 04/04/26 | Sat | Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians | Delhi |
| 9 | 04/04/26 | Sat | Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals | Ahmedabad |
| 10 | 05/04/26 | Sun | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Lucknow Super Giants | Hyderabad |
| 11 | 05/04/26 | Sun | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings | Bengaluru |
| 12 | 06/04/26 | Mon | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings | Kolkata |
| 13 | 07/04/26 | Tue | Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians | Guwahati |
| 14 | 08/04/26 | Wed | Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Titans | Delhi |
| 15 | 09/04/26 | Thu | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants | Kolkata |
| 16 | 10/04/26 | Fri | Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Guwahati |
| 17 | 11/04/26 | Sat | Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Mullanpur |
| 18 | 11/04/26 | Sat | Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals | Chennai |
| 19 | 12/04/26 | Sun | Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans | Lucknow |
| 20 | 12/04/26 | Sun | Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Mumbai |