IPL 2026 Schedule Unveiled Amid Travel and Election Monitoring

Speaking on the matter, the official said that while the situation is a matter of concern, there has been no indication of disruption involved in the tournament's operations.

The West Asia Conflict has put stress on player travel. The West Indian team's departure post the T20 World Cup in India was delayed due to the cancellation of flights to the region.

"We are monitoring the situation, and it is a matter of concern. However, conditions are under control so far. None of the hotels, airlines or other related departments has expressed any concerns, but we are keeping a close watch on it," the IPL official said.

Earlier, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice-President Rajeev Shukla (BCCI) clarified that the BCCI has already released the schedule for the initial phase of the tournament and will decide on the remaining fixtures once the poll schedule is announced for the states heading to elections.

"IPL will be held as per schedule. We have released the schedule for 20 matches. The schedule for remaining matches will be released after the Election Commission announces the dates for states going to the election," Shukla told ANI.

On March 11, BCCI announced the schedule for the first phase of the 2026 IPL edition, which is to played from March 28 to April 12.

The full schedule of the IPL 2026 edition will be announced once the poll dates of three states which are scheduled to undergo State Assembly elections during this period are announced.

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will play tournament opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

During this period, the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.

The first double-header of the season will take place on April 4, 2026, when Delhi Capitals face Mumbai Indians in the afternoon match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, followed by Gujarat Titans taking on Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

uring the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur.

Note: 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.

- ANI