IPL 2026: BCCI on its toes as it announces first phase of fixtures

It’s the IPL time of year as defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru begin their title defence against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 28 March, the opening day of the 2026 season as per norm. However, there is still a question mark over the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium being eligible to host the RCB matches in light of the horrifying stampede in June 2025, when 11 fans were killed during a victory parade.

A press release issued by the BCCI on Wednesday, which unveiled the fixtures of the first phase of the IPL from 28 March to 12 April, reads: ‘’The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the expert committee constituted by the government of Karnataka. The committee will conduct a meeting and inspection of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 13, 2026, during which a full-scale mock demonstration of match-day arrangements will be carried out to assess the stadium’s preparedness for hosting IPL matches.’’

However, the question mark over Bengaluru is a lesser headache for the BCCI. The truly massive challenge is how to arrange travel logistics for overseas players in the wake of the Iran war, and the shortage of LPG and other fuel.

The BCCI, no stranger to firefighting over the years, has released fixtures for the first two weeks only with an eye to working around the Assembly elections of at least three states which host matches regularly: Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam.

Asked to comment on the current volatile geopolitics in West Asia, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal said in an interview: “We are reviewing developments. Since this is an evolving situation, nothing can be said as of now. But given the requirement of the situation, we will take a call accordingly.’’

Meanwhile, several franchises have already set up camp in their respective cities for the upcoming season. The Chennai Super Kings camp has been running for a few days, with around 10 players training every day at the high-performance centre, including the talismanic Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Punjab Kings have been camping in Dharamsala for the last few days with around 10 players present. Gujarat Titans, too, began their pre-season camp last month in Nathdwara.

A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues as per the initial schedule: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. The tournament will feature four double-headers, with afternoon matches beginning at 3.30 pm and evening matches at 7.30 pm IST. The opening encounter on 28 March will be followed by Mumbai Indians taking on Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.

The first double-header of the season will be held on 4 April when Delhi Capitals face Mumbai Indians in an afternoon game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi followed by Gujarat Titans taking on Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Rajasthan Royals will begin their home campaign in Guwahati, where they will host Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, respectively. Punjab Kings, meanwhile, will play their early home fixtures at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh.