The Governing Council (GC) of the Indian Premier League has officially given the green light for the first half of the IPL 2026 schedule, which we can expect to be revealed around March 6 or 7. The GC held a virtual meeting on Monday and decided to roll out the Season 19 fixtures in two parts, with the first batch likely coming later this week.
On Tuesday (March 3), Royal Challengers Bengaluru announced that they will host five games at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, making it the likely venue for the season opener. As is tradition, the defending champions will kick off the first match, and it looks like that custom will hold true this season.
Additionally, Santosh Menon, the secretary of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, confirmed that the Bengaluru stadium will also be the site for a playoff game and the tournament final.
While RCB's opponents are still to be determined, Cricbuzz reported on February 27 that the season start might be delayed by a few days, with March 28 or 29 being potential dates. The final is still set for May 31, as previously announced.
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BCCI Confirms Two-Phase IPL 2026 Fixtures Amid Election Delays
In a recent update to the franchises, BCCI acting CEO and IPL COO Hemang Amin mentioned that practice session guidelines would be shared next week.
He also noted that the No Objection Certificates for overseas players (NOC) would be sent out all at once in the coming days, with the Occupation Standards Classification for Australia (OSCA) to be obtained from Cricket Australia, along with individual NOCs from South Africa. Both documents should be sent together to the BCCI in a single email once they are received.
The franchises were also informed that the release of the fixtures is on hold until the Election Commission announces the poll dates for West Bengal, Assam, and Tamil Nadu. Furthermore, details about the pre-tournament captains' meeting will be shared by next week.
It’s still unclear when the State Assembly election schedule will be revealed. With the clock ticking down to the likely start of the season, the BCCI has opted to roll out the fixtures in two phases, just like they have in past election years. We can expect the first phase of IPL 2026 to span the first 13 to 14 days.
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