League stage runs March 28 – May 24, 2026. Defending champions RCB open at home against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Final on May 31, Bengaluru.
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IPL 2026 starts on March 28, 2026 with RCB vs SRH at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The league stage ends on May 24, 2026. The final is scheduled for May 31, 2026 in Bengaluru.
IPL 2026 has 70 league stage matches (each of 10 teams plays 14 matches) plus 4 playoff matches — Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2, and the Final — for a total of 74 matches.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are the defending champions, having won IPL 2025. They open the 2026 season at home against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Most IPL 2026 matches start at 7:30 PM IST. On double-header days, the first match starts at 3:30 PM IST and the second at 7:30 PM IST. All timings are in Indian Standard Time (UTC+5:30).
The IPL 2026 final is scheduled for May 31, 2026 in Bengaluru (M Chinnaswamy Stadium). Playoff venues will be officially announced closer to the date.
Ten teams compete in IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Mumbai Indians (MI), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Punjab Kings (PBKS), Gujarat Titans (GT), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and Delhi Capitals (DC).
Raipur is a new addition, hosting two of RCB's home matches (Match 54 on May 10 and Match 57 on May 13). Guwahati hosts Rajasthan Royals' home leg. Delhi Capitals play their entire home leg in Delhi this year, unlike recent editions where they shared duties with Visakhapatnam.