The first game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season will pit reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, March 28 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The Mumbai Indians, five-time winners, will begin their season against the Kolkata Knight Riders on March 29 at the legendary Wankhede Stadium.
In the meanwhile, the Chennai Super Kings will play Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati to start their season. As two of the league’s most well-liked clubs face off, this game provides an early highlight to the season.
The league’s fixtures for the first 20 games have been announced, according to a story in The Indian Express. Later, the remaining portion of the schedule will probably be made public. Teams compete in a number of thrilling games during the opening phase as they attempt to build early momentum in their pursuit of the playoffs.
The Punjab Kings, last season’s runners-up, will start their season in Mullanpur against the Gujarat Titans. The match between the Delhi Capitals and the Lucknow Super Giants will take place in Lucknow on April 1.
There are a number of significant matchups in the first stage as well, including Mumbai Indians against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Mumbai on April 12 and Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Chennai Super Kings in Bengaluru on April 5.
The schedule includes double-header days on April 4, April 5, April 11, and April 12, where there are two matches planned for each day, giving fans plenty of games to watch on those days. During the tournament’s initial phase, teams will visit a number of locations, such as Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata, Guwahati, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Mullanpur.
The schedule also includes a number of notable contests. Mumbai will host Bengaluru on April 12, while Chennai will visit Bengaluru on April 5.
On Wednesday at 7:00 PM IST, Star Sports Network and JioHotstar will reveal the IPL 2026’s first phase schedule.