IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bangalore, the defending champions kick off the new IPL season at home against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28, according to the schedule just out on Wednesday. The BCCI revealed the first look at the 19th IPL season’s fixtures right after confirming the 2026 start date earlier this week.
Right now, the schedule of first 20 games has been published. That’s because of the upcoming assembly elections across the country. For the rest of the matches, the fans have to wait for the second phase which will be announced later.
After the opener, Mumbai Indians, who’ve claimed the trophy five times, host three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders on March 29. The next day, five-time winners Chennai Super Kings face Rajasthan Royals, the very first IPL champions on their home turf. All eyes will be on Sanju Samson, star from the latest T20 World Cup.
Ravindra Jadeja has moved to Rajasthan Royals from Chennai Super Kings in a pre-season trade, while Sanju Samson heads the other way to CSK. That adds a little extra spice to their showdown. This year, the IPL expands to 84 matches, up by 10 from last season. Every team plays each other twice in a double round-robin, once at home, once away.
The top four teams make it to the playoffs, which run for four games. The format follows what we saw in 2021, with a few tweaks after Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants joined in 2022. Once the group stage wraps up, the top two teams go head-to-head in Qualifier 1. The winner heads straight to the final. Third and fourth place teams square off in Eliminator 1.
Whoever wins there faces the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2, and the winner of that matchbooks the last spot in the final. With 10 teams, the league splits them into two virtual groups each season. Every team faces the others in its group twice, plays one chosen opponent from the other group twice, and takes on the remaining four teams just once during the league stage.
