IPL 2026 Dates Confirmed: Season to Run from March 26 to May 31; Chinnaswamy Opener Uncertain
IPL 2026 will be played from March 26 to May 31, with dates confirmed ahead of the auction. Uncertainty remains over the season opener at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium remains in focus as IPL 2026 dates are confirmed from March 26 to May 31, with uncertainty over the opening match venue.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is said to run from March 26 to May 31 with the tournament window being confirmed by the meeting of the franchise representatives and the IPL officials in Abu Dhabi on Monday evening, as per a report by Cricbuzz.
The announcement is very helpful for the teams who are going to make their plans because it is just a few days before the auction. Nevertheless, there is still no clarity about the place where the first match will be played as the government hasn’t given full approval for the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Opening Match Hinges on Government Approval
The dates were communicated by IPL CEO Hemang Amin to the media in a presentation before the auction. It has been the practice for the IPL opener to be held in the home city of the defending champions, which now brings Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Chinnaswamy Stadium to the forefront of the opening match.
The plan though is contingent upon the Karnataka state government's approval. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has been allowed only to host IPL matches under certain conditions of strict safety and security compliance.
The authorities are being cautious because there was a horrible incident during the RCB IPL title celebrations on June 4 when a stampede broke out and at least 11 people died and many others were injured. The state government has since then been cautious about allowing large cricket events in the area and has moved some Women’s World Cup matches out of Bengaluru.
A top BCCI official when asked if there is a possibility of the season opener being held at Chinnaswamy said, “We hope so” and that D. K. Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister, has been quite vocal to the public about wanting the matter solved. Shivakumar has hinted that the government wants to be the site for IPL matches and has tasked the state Home Minister to consult with the KSCA officials to work out the safety issues.
Auction Build-Up Gains Momentum
While the schedule was the main topic of discussion, there is also the IPL 2026 auction that is to be held on Tuesday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. This will be the third year in a row that the auction will be held overseas, after Dubai and Jeddah.
On the eve of the auction, the BCCI has finalized the player pool adding 19 names more thus making the total shortlist for players to 359 — 244 Indian and 115 foreign cricketers. Some notable late additions are Abhimanyu Easwaran, New Zealand pacer Ben Sears, and South African all-rounder Ethan Bosch.
There are 77 slots available across the teams with 31 of them for overseas players. Kolkata Knight Riders have the largest number of vacant places with 13, next comes Sunrisers Hyderabad with 10.
Marquee Names in Focus
The auction is likely to showcase big names like Cameron Green, Liam Livingstone, and Ravi Bishnoi. Especially Green will be the center of bidding because of the lack of pace-bowling all-rounders and the projected bids might exceed ₹25 crore.
Now that the IPL 2026 calendar is fixed, franchises still have to deal with some logistical questions, especially regarding venues, and they hope these will be resolved in time for the first match of the season.
