IPL 2026 Not Expanding Yet: 74 Matches Confirmed, Full Schedule Coming Soon

There have been widespread rumours on social media suggesting that the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League 2026 will feature 84 matches. However, these claims are incorrect.

IPL 2026 will follow the same format as the previous season, consisting of 74 matches. This also means that all 10 teams will not play each other twice during the league stage.

Instead, like the last three editions, teams will be divided into two groups of five each. Each team will play home and away against teams in their group. They will face the teams from the other group once, unless they are in the playoffs. With the format intact, the BCCI will now announce the IPL 2026 full schedule this week as the state election dates are now out.

Based on the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s IPL media rights cycle, there were indeed plans to gradually expand the tournament window with more matches.

Arun Dhumal had indicated last year that the Indian Premier League could move to an 84-match format in the 2026–27 cycle, with a further increase to 94 matches from 2028 onward.

IPL 2026 to Stick with 74 Matches Despite Expansion Rumours

However, despite those long-term plans, the expansion has not been implemented for IPL 2026. The upcoming season will still follow the 74-match format, meaning the full home-and-away round-robin (where every team plays each other twice) remains on hold for now. The BCCI was also in discussion with the ICC regarding that expansion. However, it has not materialised yet. IPL has remained a 65-day tournament.

Fans and cricket lovers believed that Indian Premier League 2026 would have 84 matches, based on these hints and updates. Some fans pointed out the IPL fantasy game documentation, which initially claimed that IPL 2026 would have 80 league games. However, that’s not true. The My11Circle IPL fantasy game has updated the section, stating it would have 70 league games.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India released Phase 1 of the Indian Premier League schedule on March 11, with only 20 matches planned over 16 days until April 12. This delay happened because of state elections in West Bengal, Assam, and Tamil Nadu.

But two days later, the Election Commission of India announced the election schedule, paving the way for the BCCI to plan the full schedule.

According to Cricbuzz, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is expected to announce the full Indian Premier League schedule, including the remaining 54 matches, later this week before the tournament starts on March 28.

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by Dwijesh March 23, 2026