IPL 2026: BCCI announces fan parks in 15 cities
What's the story
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the schedule for Fan Parks of the 2026 IPL's first phase, taking the excitement of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to smaller cities. The initiative will be held over three weekends, starting March 28, in 15 cities across 11 states. This is part of BCCI's effort to decentralize and expand the IPL viewing experience beyond stadiums.
Event details
Venues for each weekend
The IPL Fan Parks will be set up in clusters across four regions: North, South, East, and West. Five venues will be operational each weekend. The first leg includes Rohtak, Bhopal, Nagpur, Tumakuru, and Krishnanagar while Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Nizamabad (Telangana), Mysuru (Karnataka), and Bhubaneswar (Odisha) are on the list for the second week. The third weekend will see events in Meerut (Uttar Pradesh), Nadiad (Gujarat), Ratnagiri (Maharashtra), Coimbatore(Tamil Nadu) and Rourkela( Odisha).
Activities
A look at the activities
At each venue, matches will be screened live with a host of activities like music performances, food stalls, children's play areas, and interactive installations such as virtual batting zones and fan engagement booths. The BCCI has confirmed that schedules for subsequent weeks will be announced later. This initiative is part of IPL's continued effort to take the excitement of cricket beyond stadiums and into smaller cities across India.
Tournament structure
IPL to kick off on March 28
The IPL 2026 season will kick off on March 28, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening match. The tournament will continue until May 31, with a total of 84 matches - an increase from the previous editions' count of 74. This year, there will be a full league format with playoffs, including Qualifier-1, Eliminator, Qualifier-2, and final. Meanwhile, BCCI has so far released the schedule just for the first 20 days.