The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 will commence on March 28 and the last game will take place on May 31. On March 11, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed the timetable of the tournament.
The announcement was put off due to the conflict that the tournament had with assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Although Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have their bases in Kolkata (West Bengal) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu), respectively, the second base of Royals Rajasthan (RR) is Guwahati (Assam).
The uncertainty concerning the M Chinnaswamy Stadium was one of the other causes of the delay. No top-flight cricket has been played in the venue since the tragic stampede that happened in the victory parade of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team in 2025 that resulted in the death of 11 people and injured several others. Nonetheless, the Karnataka State cricket Association (KSCA) was given a go-ahead after long deliberations with RCB and the government.
It will start with the tournament with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and 2016 champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) playing the first match on the Chinnaswamy on March 28. RCB dominated the course of the 2025 season, and the team headed by Pat Cummins was eliminated at the group stages.
IPL 2026 Full Schedule
| Match No. | Date | Home Team | Away Team | Venue |
| 1 | March 28 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Sunrisers Hyderabad | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| 2 | March 29 | Mumbai Indians | Kolkata Knight Riders | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| 3 | March 30 | Rajasthan Royals | Chennai Super Kings | Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati |
| 4 | March 31 | Punjab Kings | Gujarat Titans | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh |
| 5 | April 01 | Lucknow Super Giants | Delhi Capitals | Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium, Lucknow |
| 6 | April 02 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| 7 | April 03 | Chennai Super Kings | Punjab Kings | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| 8 | April 04 | Delhi Capitals | Mumbai Indians | Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi |
| 9 | April 04 | Gujarat Titans | Rajasthan Royals | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| 10 | April 05 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Lucknow Super Giants | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad |
| 11 | April 05 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Chennai Super Kings | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| 12 | April 06 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Punjab Kings | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| 13 | April 07 | Rajasthan Royals | Mumbai Indians | Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati |
| 14 | April 08 | Delhi Capitals | Gujarat Titans | Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi |
| 15 | April 09 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Lucknow Super Giants | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| 16 | April 10 | Rajasthan Royals | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati |
| 17 | April 11 | Punjab Kings | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh |
| 18 | April 11 | Chennai Super Kings | Delhi Capitals | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| 19 | April 12 | Lucknow Super Giants | Gujarat Titans | Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium, Lucknow |
| 20 | April 12 | Mumbai Indians | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
