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IPL 2026 Schedule Date Revealed

Anurag Dasgupta

IPL 2026 schedule date revealed [Source: AFP] IPL 2026 schedule date revealed [Source: AFP]

The IPL 2026 season is just around the corner, and the fans are eagerly waiting for the full schedule to be released. While the official start date is out (March 28), there is no confirmation on the full schedule, as the league will start in 18 days. However, BCCI Secretary, Devajit Saikia has finally broken his silence on the matter.

The IPL 2026 schedule announcement was delayed due to elections taking place in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Assam. Saikia recently attended a local T20 tournament in Assam, and gave his official statement on the IPL 2026 schedule

Saikia reveals when the IPL 2026 schedule will be announced

The BCCI secretary formally announced that on Thursday, March 12, the wait will end as the governing body will reveal the schedule. However, there is a catch: with election dates yet to be revealed, only the schedule for the first 20 IPL days will be announced first.

"You will get the IPL schedule on the 12th. The IPL schedule is ready. We will announce the schedule for the first 20 days because we are waiting for the election notification in Assam, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu. The notification will probably come out in the next four or five days, after which we will announce the full schedule. But we have prepared a schedule for the first 20 days, and we will announce that on the 12th or 13th," Saikia stated.

IPL to commence on March 28, finale on May 31

The official statement is out, the IPL 2026 season will commence on March 28, and the final is expected to take place on May 31. Initially, it was announced that IPL would commence on March 26, but the start of the marquee event was postponed.

It is also expected that RCB, the defending champions, will kick-start the new season on the 28th, but the opponent has not been revealed.

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Who can take part in the IPL 2026 opening fixture?

As history suggests, generally, the champions and the runners-up from the previous edition contest in the opening match of the season, and technically, it has to be RCB and PBKS. The Rajat Patidar-led side defeated the Punjab Kings in a narrow contest to win their maiden IPL title.

Moreover, with the opening match taking place at the Chinnaswamy Stadium (confirmed), RCB is set to play in the first match, and PBKS could be their opponent.

There is another theory that has been floating around ever since the official IPL start date was revealed. In the poster that was released by Star Sports, the IPL trophy was placed at the centre, with a Yellow and a Pink ribbon placed around the trophy. This indicated that CSK, and RR could be the teams that play the first match of the season.

The contest also has weightage as there is a great buzz due to the fact that RR skipper, Sanju Samson, was traded to CSK, and the fans could witness him going against his former team in the opening match of the IPL.

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