The 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will kick-off on March 28, two days later than the Ranjan Pandey-led Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s original plan, ESPNcritinfo has reported.
IPL had already announced all the franchises back in December 2025 that the IPL in 2026 will kick start from March 26 but as per ESPNcricinfo reports, IPL has altered the starting date for 2026 with two days deadline and now it would be starting on March 28 with a grand finale likely to play on May 31.
The report also quoted as saying that the IPL Governing Council will meet next week to finalise the schedule for 2026 season which is getting deferred as dates of assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have not yet been announced.
The home grounds for three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and five-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are Kolkata (in West Bengal) and Chennai (in Tamil Nadu), while RR has its second venue in the form of Guwahati, capital of Assam.
The IPL Governing Council is also likely to discuss the venue of where the tournament opener will be held, which will see defending champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). — ESPNcricinfo
After RCB’s celebrations in the wake of their victory at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru last June ended up with 11 people dead after a stampede, the Bengaluru-based franchise is embroiled in discussions with the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA)possibly regarding if RCB’s seven home games will be hosted at Chinnaswamy or they would rather play it away from home.
The report said RCB had shortlisted a couple of alternate venues including Navi Mumbai, Raipur and Pune.