BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia shares major update on IPL 2026 schedule announcement

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The schedule for the much-anticipated 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to be unveiled soon, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirming that the first phase of fixtures will be announced by March 12. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia revealed that only the initial 20 days of the tournament schedule will be released first, while the remaining fixtures will be confirmed later due to logistical considerations related to upcoming state assembly elections.

Speaking about the tournament’s planning, Saikia stated that the board intends to share the schedule for the opening phase of the competition within the next couple of days. The IPL’s 19th edition is now scheduled to run from March 28 to May 31, a slight shift from the originally proposed window of March 26 to May 30.

According to Saikia, announcing the first part of the schedule will allow the tournament preparations to move forward while giving the board flexibility to finalize the rest of the fixtures later.

“We plan to announce the IPL 2026 schedule by March 12. For now, we are going to release the schedule for the first 20 days,” Saikia said while addressing the update.

The decision to stagger the announcement is primarily linked to the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, and Tamil Nadu. Since election-related security arrangements could impact venue availability and travel logistics, the BCCI wants to ensure there are no scheduling conflicts before finalizing the remainder of the tournament calendar.

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Even as the official schedule awaits confirmation, IPL franchises have already begun their pre-season training and preparations. Teams are keen to ensure their squads are match-ready ahead of what promises to be another intense edition of the league.

Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings were among the earliest to begin preparations. The franchise started training on March 1 at their High-Performance Centre in Navalur. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni were both present during the early training sessions, drawing excitement from fans.

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru also conducted a short preparation camp earlier in February at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Meanwhile, the Gujarat Titans, who lifted the IPL title in 2022, held multiple practice sessions at the Miraj International Cricket Stadium in Nathdwara as they began fine-tuning their squad combinations.

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