The IPL 2026 season is set to kick off on March 28 with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) facing Punjab Kings, setting the stage for a thrilling 84-match campaign ending May 31 in Bengaluru.
And the BCCI has announced that the schedule (partially) will be announced on Wednesday (March 11).
The tournament will span two months across several venues, including M. Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bengaluru), Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai), Eden Gardens (Kolkata), Narendra Modi Stadium (Ahmedabad), and Ekana Stadium (Lucknow). League stage features double round-robin format, followed by playoffs starting May 26.
IPL 2026 Teams
Ten franchises compete: Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Mumbai Indians (MI), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC), Gujarat Titans (GT), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Punjab Kings (PBKS).
IPL 2026 Auction
Held in Abu Dhabi, teams spent Rs 215.45 crore on 77 players. Cameron Green fetched a record Rs 25.20 crore (KKR); CSK splurged Rs 14.20 crore each on uncapped Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma. Other buys: Matheesha Pathirana (Rs 18 crore, KKR), Liam Livingstone (Rs 13 crore, SRH).
IPL 2026 Schedule
The BCCI’s IPL 2026 schedule release has been notably late and partial as of March 11, 2026, with only the first 20 days’ fixtures set for announcement. This staggered approach deviates from past seasons where full schedules dropped weeks earlier, building anticipation prematurely.
Upcoming assembly elections in states like Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala during the IPL window are the primary cause, complicating venue availability, logistics, and security. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the board is aligning fixtures around polling dates to avoid disruptions
IPL 2026 Schedule Announcement LIVE Streaming
The announcement will be telecast on Star Sports network from 7 pm IST on Wednesday (March 11). The Indian fans can also stream the schedule on Jio Hotstar app and website from the same time.