The opening two weeks of the Indian Premier League (IPL) schedule have been announced, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in the opening match.
The first set of matches will be played from March 28 to April 12, with the full schedule of the tournament set to be announced in due course.
This is due to the fact that “three states are scheduled to undergo State Assembly elections during this period” and so there is a wait to see when poll dates are announced.
Following the incident at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium after RCB’s win in 2025 – a mass gathering being held to celebrate RCB’s first Indian Premier League title win during which there were 11 deaths and dozens of injuries – matches at the arena are “subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka”.
An inspection of the stadium will take place on March 13 and a “full-scale mock demonstration of match-day arrangements will be carried out to assess the stadium’s preparedness for hosting IPL matches”.
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Watch the moment that Virat Kohli and his teammates were confirmed as Indian Premier League champions for the first time in their history after beating the Punjab Kings.
After the opening encounter on Saturday March 28, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on the Sunday.
During this period, the tournament will feature four double-headers, the first of which takes place on April 4 when Delhi Capitals face Mumbai Indians 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. Punjab Kings (PBKS), meanwhile, will play their early home fixtures at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
Indian Premier League fixtures 2026
All times UK and Ireland; all games live on Sky Sports
Saturday March 28: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (2pm)
Sunday March 29: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2pm)
Monday March 30: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings (2pm)
Tuesday March 31: Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans (2pm)
Wednesday April 1: Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals (2pm)
Thursday April 2: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (2pm)
Friday April 3: Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings (2pm)
Saturday April 4: Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians (10am)
Saturday April 4: Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals (2pm)
Sunday April 5: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Lucknow Super Giants (10am)
Sunday April 5: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings (2pm)
Monday April 6: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings (2pm)
Tuesday April 7: Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians (2pm)
Wednesday April 8: Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Titans (2pm)
Thursday April 9: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants (2pm)
Friday April 10: Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2pm)
Saturday April 11: Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (10am)
Saturday April 11: Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals (2pm)
Sunday April 12: Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans (10am)
Sunday April 12: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
