The Indian cricket fans are all set for non-stop cricketing action for around three months after the enthralling T20 World Cup 2026, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the schedule for the upcoming Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026).
On Wednesday, March 11, the BCCI confirmed the dates for the first phase of the upcoming IPL 2026, which is set to get underway on March 28 with the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) facing the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the season opener.
IPL 2026 Teams and Squads Overview After Auction
The upcoming edition of the IPL 2026 is expected to be a more exciting one than the last one after the teams have made some bold moves at the mini-auction in Abu Dhabi in December 2025.
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Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
CSK has prepared a new-look squad mixing youth with experience. The five-time IPL champions have stunned everyone by bringing Sanju Samson into the team while parting ways with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. They have also made headlines by spending ₹14.20 crore each on uncapped Indian players Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma at the auction.
Key Players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, Sarfaraz Khan, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Dewald Brevis, Prashant Veer, Ayush Mhatre
Mumbai Indians (MI)
The five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians have made minimal moves at the auction, but they successfully re-acquired Quinton de Kock.
Key Players: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Quinton de Kock, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Will Jacks
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru strengthened their squad with a few smart signings as they will aim to defend their first-ever title in the upcoming IPL 2026.
Key Players: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt, Venkatesh Iyer, Josh Hazlewood, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
KKR made headlines with one of the biggest signings of the IPL 2026 mini-auction by acquiring the Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, who became the most expensive overseas player in IPL history. The three-time champions signed Green for ₹25.20 crore at the auction.
Key Players: Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Cameron Green, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Matheesha Pathirana
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Gujarat Titans (GT)
The Gujarat Titans have made only a few adjustments for the IPL 2026. West Indian all-rounder Jason Holder was their most expensive buy at the auction with ₹7 crore.
Key Players: Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Rashid Khan, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Delhi Capitals made some bold moves at the mini auction. Their most expensive buy was the talented Jammu & Kashmir all-rounder Auqib Nabi, who was snapped up for a whopping 8.40 crore.
DC brought in big hitters like David Miller and Ben Duckett, each for ₹2 crore, and added Sri Lankan star Pathum Nissanka for ₹4 crore at the auction to strengthen their batting for the IPL 2026.
Key Players: KL Rahul, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, Ben Duckett, Axar Patel, Ashutosh Sharma, Auqib Nabi, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Pathum Nissanka, Sameer Rizvi, and David Miller
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Lucknow Super Giants had spent a massive ₹8.6 crore to acquire the Australian wicketkeeper Josh Inglis. The LSG also picked up Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga and South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje, each for their base price of ₹2 crore, with an aim to make a strong comeback.
Key Players: Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ayush Badoni, Mohammed Shami, Digvesh Rathi, Anrich Nortje
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
The Rajasthan Royals underwent major transformation after trading away Sanju Samson to CSK. Their big signing was the leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (₹7.20 crore).
Key Players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Riyan Parag, Sam Curran, Ravi Bishnoi, Jofra Archer, Adam Milne, Kwena Maphaka
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Sunrisers Hyderabad retained most of their core players. SRH’s biggest buy was England all-rounder Liam Livingstone for 13 crore. They also signed Jack Edwards, Salil Arora, and Shivam Mavi at the auction.
Key Players: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan, Salil Arora, Liam Livingstone, Jack Edwards, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, and Brydon Carse
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
The Punjab Kings decided to stick with their core after reaching the final in 2025. Only Ben Dwarshuis (₹4.40 crore) and Cooper Connolly (₹3 crore), Pravin Dubey, and Vishal Nishad (₹30 lakh each) were signed at the auction.
Key Players: Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Marco Jansen, Azmatullah Omarzai, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ben Dwarshuis
IPL 2026 Full Schedule and Match List – 1st Phase
🚨 THE SCHEDULE OF FIRST PHASE OF IPL 2026 🚨 (Express Sports). pic.twitter.com/Bux5ZpxDjz
— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) March 11, 2026
