The IPL 2026 has been revealed to begin on the 28th of March, and with less than a month left for the iconic franchise tournament, the schedule is yet to be revealed by the IPL governing committee of the BCCI. The BCCI Secretary finally made an official announcement on the delay.
Currently, the T20 fever is already on as India are competing in the ICC T20 World Cup and are looking to emerge as the first team to bag back-to-back titles in the premier T20 competition. Also, this is the first time any team is defending the title on home soil.
After the end of the T20 World Cup, the T20 season will continue with the IPL scheduled to be held between the 28th of March and the 31st of May. The total of 10 teams will feature in the 84 games, which include the three knockout games and the final.
Your daily dose of cricket!
The real reason behind the delay in the release of the IPL 2026 schedule
IPL is knocking at the door, which means that the schedule should have been released by now. Also, the premier tournament attracts fans from around the country and the world; hence, the sale of tickets should be live until now.
Since that is not the scenario as of now, a major question has been raised on whether the IPL will be postponed due to elections in some of the states. The BCCI Secretary, Devajit Saikia, has finally shed light on the challenges the BCCI is facing, which have delayed the release of the schedule.
“Please wait for two to three days for the IPL schedule. We will release it as soon as possible. We know that it is getting late because elections are being held in three or four states, such as Assam, Bengal and Tamil Nadu.”
“We are waiting for the announcement from the election authorities. We have to take a call in a day or two. After that, we will inform you how we are going forward with the IPL,” said Saikia in an interview with TOI.
RCB to likely clash in the opening game of the IPL 2026
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru broke the years-old record of them not winning a trophy despite having played in multiple knockouts as well as finals. However, the Rajat Patidar-led side made it happen, and they won their maiden title after having defeated Shreyas Iyer.
As per the rules of the IPL, the two finalists from the previous edition usually clash in the opening fixture, as the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings clashed on many occasions in the IPL. Anyway, RCB, as the defending champions, are most likely to initiate the start of the IPL 2026.
This time as well, they will be one of the strongest XI in the competition after having not made many changes, while leaving out some of the weak links. However, Josh Hazlewood’s unavailability will be a major concern for them if he is not fit until the IPL. Rajat Patidar is likely to lead in this season as well.
Rajasthan Royals and the RCB are yet to finalize a home stadium for themselves
The Rajasthan Royals’ home ground, Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, and the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore are the two stadiums that are under scrutiny. The BCCI had given the Sawai Mansingh Stadium an unsatisfactory rating, as a result of which the Royals were considering the likes of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium to host their home games.
On the other hand, RCB have made a slight hint that their home matches will be held at their home ground of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, the KSCA has not been able to fulfill all the regulations that were asked to be met before the Chinnaswamy could be restored for high attendance games.
ALSO READ: Shahid Afridi calls Mohsin Naqvi CHEAP for punishing Pakistan stars financially
