The IPL 2026 season is set to begin from March 28, which is two days later than the initial schedule proposed by the BCCI. On December 15, 2025, the IPL had notified the franchises, just a day prior to the last auction, that the tournament would commence on March 26. However, ESPNcricinfo has reported that the IPL has made an internal decision to shift the start date to March 28, with the final match scheduled for May 31.
It has been revealed that the IPL Governing Council will convene next week to finalize the schedule release plan, which has been postponed due to the pending announcement of assembly election dates in Assam, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu. Kolkata, located in West Bengal, and Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, serve as the home grounds for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) respectively, while Guwahati, the capital of Assam, is the secondary venue for the Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Since the inception of the IPL in 2008, whenever the country has held general elections – in 2009, 2014, 2019, and 2024 – or a state has conducted assembly elections, the schedule has typically been released in two phases. The Governing Council is anticipated to determine whether to follow this same approach this time or to wait for the Election Commission of India to announce the election dates for the three states first.
Additionally, the IPL Governing Council is likely to deliberate on the location of the tournament’s opening match, which will feature the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). In light of the tragic stampede during RCB’s victory celebrations at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru last June, which led to the loss of 11 fans, RCB has been in talks with the Karnataka State Cricket Association regarding whether the team’s seven home games will take place at the stadium or be relocated to another venue.
RCB has identified several alternative venues, including Navi Mumbai, Raipur, and Pune.
