2 min readUpdated: Mar 8, 2026 07:08 PM IST
The start date of the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League was officially confirmed on Sunday by the official broadcaster as well as several franchises with the tournament set to begin on March 28 which is a Saturday. However, the schedule wasn’t announced just yet.
This is reportedly due to BCCI opting to release the fixtures in two phases as they wait for the Election commission to announce dates for elections in West Bengal, Assam and Tamil Nadu. The first phase of the fixtures are expected tpo be announced pretty soon while the second phase will be announced after the election dates are fixed in these 3 states.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru are defending champions after defeating the Punjab Kings last year and have confirmed that they will play their home fixtures at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, a venue which saw 11 people lose their lives a day after the franchise won its maiden IPL title last year. However, the defending champions will play only five matches at the venue and will play their remaining two matches at Raipur.
🚨 Announcement 🚨
Get ready! #TATAIPL2026 is all set to start from the 28th of MARCH! pic.twitter.com/RF4Ixvo1J5
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 8, 2026
This significant development came after months of hard work and close coordination across all concerned authorities with a common goal of bringing the games back to home ground for the fans,” RCB had said in a release. “RCB extends its sincere gratitude to the Government of Karnataka, the Karnataka State Cricket Association and the Karnataka Police for their unwavering guidance, cooperation and support in facilitating the hosting of matches in Bengaluru.”
“The collective efforts to ramp up infrastructure and safety measures in time for the IPL season have ensured that the defending champions will play the majority of their home games in their home ground,” the franchise added.
