The wait for the announcement of the IPL 2026 schedule continues. Stat Sports have now confirmed that the season 19 of the tournament will kick off on March 28, exactly 20 days after the end of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. A announcement of a partial schedule is expected in the coming days.
Multiple reports suggested that the IPL 2026 Schedule would be unveiled before the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Final between India and New Zealand. However, no such announcement came through until at least the start of the match.
Broadcasters however confirmed that March 28 as a start date. Earlier, during the IPL 2026 auction, the BCCI had confirmed March 26 as a tentative start date.
Why is there a delay in IPL schedule reveal?
All franchises have begun preparations for the tournament with camps. The likes of MS Dhoni, Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma have already hit preparation mode without clarity on the schedule.
IPL's schedule preparations have been disrupted by election proceedings in a few states. Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam are all set for polls, with Chennai and Kolkata full time IPL venues. Assam's Guwahati will host three games for Rajasthan Royals.
There was no clarity on Bengaluru as well, but RCB have confirmed that they will play 5 games at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. 2 games will be played at the Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur.
