IPL 2026 to be held from March 26 to May 31, BCCI informs franchises

Published - 16 Dec 2025, 10:20 IST | Updated - 16 Dec 2025, 10:45 IST

The 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is scheduled to be organised from Thursday, March 26, to Sunday, May 31 next year.

This was the major takeaway from the meeting between the 10 franchises and the IPL authorities in Abu Dhabi on Monday, December 15. They met in the evening at the W Hotel in Abu Dhabi, on the eve of the much-anticipated mini-auction.

However, there is still no clarity regarding whether the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, home of the IPL 2025 champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), will host the opening fixture of the cash-rich tournament.

Hemang Amin, the league's CEO, disclosed the dates for IPL 2026 during a briefing ahead of Tuesday's auction, which will be held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

While the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has been given a conditional clearance from the state government to organise IPL games at the venue, it needs to take care of the stipulated safety and security requirements. For the unversed, the opening match of the IPL is usually held at the home ground of the champions of the preceding season.

Asked about the possibility of kicking off the league at Chinnaswamy, a top BCCI official said, "We hope so." He then went on to add, "The State's Deputy Chief Minister (DK Shivakumar) himself has said so."

The Dy CM was quoted as saying in the media recently: "We have decided about the IPL matches. We are positive. We have asked our Home Minister G Parameshwara to have a meeting with them (KSCA authorities). Parameshwara will discuss with the Cricket Association. The Home Minister will deal with it."

The hesitancy regarding the Chinnaswamy Stadium stems from the fatal stampede at the iconic venue on June 4, as at least 11 fans lost their lives during RCB's celebration with the IPL trophy. Since then, the State Government has been turning down requests to host cricket matches at the venue. The BCCI had to shift designated Women's World Cup matches to different venues.

Meanwhile, there was a cloud of uncertainty surrounding Abhimanyu Easwaran's name being suggested for the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Cricbuzz has now confirmed that the Bengal captain has indeed been added to the final list that will be shared with the IPL franchises before the auction. Easwaran's name can be found at No. 360 in the spreadsheet.