IPL 2026: Full Schedule, Teams, Format and Venues Explained

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the most exciting cricket tournaments in the world. Started in 2008, it has become very popular and valuable. IPL 2026 is the 19th season of this league, featuring top players from around the globe. Fans eagerly wait every year to enjoy fast-paced T20 matches, thrilling finishes, and strong team rivalries across different cities in India.

When will IPL 2026 Take Place?

IPL 2026 will begin on March 28, 2026, and continue until May 31, 2026. The tournament will run for over two months, offering daily entertainment for cricket lovers.

IPL 2026 Format

The tournament will follow a double round-robin format. This means each of the 10 teams will play against other teams twice—once at home and once away.

After the league stage:

• The top 4 teams will qualify for the playoffs
• The top 2 teams will play Qualifier 1 (winner goes directly to final)
• Teams ranked 3rd and 4th will play the Eliminator
• The winner of Eliminator will face the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2
• The winner of Qualifier 2 will enter the final

IPL 2026 Venues

IPL 2026 matches will be played across 13 stadiums in India. The opening match will be held in Bengaluru.

Some major venues include:

• Mumbai
• Kolkata
• Chennai
• Delhi
• Ahmedabad
• Jaipur
• Lucknow
• Hyderabad
• Dharamsala
• Guwahati
• Raipur
• Mullanpur

Teams, Captions and Coaches

Here is the list of teams, captions and coaches of IPL 2026:

Team	Caption	Coach
Chennai Super Kings	Ruturaj Gaikwad	Stephen Fleming
Delhi Capitals	Axar Patel	Hemang Badani
Gujarat Titans	Shubman Gill	Ashish Nehra
Kolkata Knight Riders	Ajinkya Rahane	Abhishek Nayar
Lucknow Super Giants	Rishabh Pant	Justin Langer
Mumbai Indians	Hardik Pandya	Mahela Jayawardene
Punjab Kings	Shreyas Iyer	Ricky Ponting
Rajasthan Royals	Riyan Parag	Kumar Sangakkara
Royal Challengers Bengaluru	Rajat Patidar	Andy Flower
Sunrisers Hyderabad	Ishan Kishan / Pat Cummins	Daniel Vettori

IPL 2026 Match Timing

Matches will be played at two main time slots:

• Afternoon: 3:30 PM IST
• Evening: 7:30 PM IST

IPL 2026 Full Schedule (First 20 Matches)

The first 20 matches of IPL 2026 bring exciting clashes between top teams, giving fans an early look at team form, rivalries, and thrilling T20 cricket action.

Here is the complete list of first 20 matches of IPL 2026:

S. No.	Date	Match	Venue	Time
1.	Mar 28	RCB vs SRH	Bengaluru	7:30 PM
2.	Mar 29	MI vs KKR	Mumbai	7:30 PM
3.	Mar 30	RR vs CSK	Guwahati	7:30 PM
4.	Mar 31	PBKS vs GT	Mullanpur	7:30 PM
5.	Apr 1	LSG vs DC	Lucknow	7:30 PM
6.	Apr 2	KKR vs SRH	Kolkata	7:30 PM
7.	Apr 3	CSK vs PBKS	Chennai	7:30 PM
8.	Apr 4	DC vs MI	Delhi	3:30 PM
9.	Apr 4	GT vs RR	Ahmedabad	7:30 PM
10.	Apr 5	SRH vs LSG	Hyderabad	3:30 PM
11.	Apr 5	RCB vs CSK	Bengaluru	7:30 PM
12.	Apr 6	KKR vs PBKS	Kolkata	7:30 PM
13.	Apr 7	RR vs MI	Guwahati	7:30 PM
14.	Apr 8	DC vs GT	Delhi	7:30 PM
15.	Apr 9	KKR vs LSG	Kolkata	7:30 PM
16.	Apr 10	RR vs RCB	Guwahati	7:30 PM
17.	Apr 11	PBKS vs SRH	Mullanpur	3:30 PM
18.	Apr 11	CSK vs DC	Chennai	7:30 PM
19.	Apr 12	LSG vs GT	Lucknow	3:30 PM
20.	Apr 12	MI vs RCB	Mumbai	7:30 PM

Opening Match Details

The first match of IPL 2026 will be played between: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

• Date: March 28, 2026
• Venue: Bengaluru
• Time: 7:30 PM IST