IPL 2026 Schedule Update: BCCI Confirms New Date and Time for the Full Fixtures Announcement
The schedule of IPL 2026 has been delayed by another 24 hours. Fans were expecting the declaration of the match list on March 8, on the same day as the T20 World Cup final, but it didn’t happen. According to reports and the TV schedule of Star Sports, it seems that the fixtures of IPL 2026 may be declared on Monday, March 9, at 4:00 PM IST or 6:00 PM IST. It is not clear yet when exactly it will be declared.
BCCI Set to Reveal IPL 2026 Schedule on March 9 at 4 PM or 6 PM IST
Star Sports has confirmed that the IPL 2026 season will commence on March 28, two days later than expected. It seems that the BCCI may declare only the first 15 to 20 days of matches initially, like they did in 2019 and 2024, during election years. This means matches from March 28 to mid-April may be declared initially.
Defending Champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are most likely to be the hosts for the first match to be held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on the 28th of March. Sources indicate that the opponents for the match could be Punjab Kings, the runners-up of the 2025 Indian Premier League.
🚨 Announcement 🚨
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 8, 2026
Get ready! #TATAIPL2026 is all set to start from the 28th of MARCH! pic.twitter.com/RF4Ixvo1J5
RCB could host five matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and two matches at Raipur. Rajasthan Royals could also host matches at the Guwahati Stadium as their second home venue.
There are a few issues the BCCI is dealing with while planning the schedule for the matches. Elections are due to be held in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry between March and May. Since the Election Commission has not announced the dates for the elections yet, the full schedule for the 84 matches cannot be announced.
Another factor for the delay could be the T20 World Cup to be held today at Ahmedabad. The idea could be to give a small gap before the focus shifts from the T20 World Cup to the Indian Premier League.
