The eagerly awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is slated to kick off on March 28. Due to upcoming elections in various states, the tournament’s complete schedule will be revealed in two stages. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia informed ANI that details for the first 20 days of IPL 2026 will soon be available. “We plan to unveil the initial 20-day schedule in 2 to 3 days while taking election dates into account, with the remainder of the schedule to follow later,” he stated.
In the last season, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) triumphed, defeating the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Recently, Karnataka State Cricket Association Secretary Santosh Menon confirmed that the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will host five home games for RCB in IPL 2026, along with one playoff match and the final showdown. RCB’s two other home matches are set for the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
Cricketing action at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has been on hold since June of last year. Following RCB’s championship win, a significant crowd gathered outside the venue, resulting in a tragic stampede that claimed 11 lives and left many injured. The stadium missed hosting any matches during the ICC Women’s World Cup or the recently concluded Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, impacting several domestic and franchise tournaments.
As the defending champions, RCB will look to retain their title under the leadership of Rajat Patidar. Notable players to keep an eye on this season include Jacob Bethell, Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, Dewald Brevis, and Ramandeep Singh. All players will join the lucrative league after the T20 World Cup 2026, where the “Men in Blue” successfully defended their title by defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final.