RCB, SRH clash in IPL 2026 opener: Phase 1 schedule
What's the story
The schedule for the first phase of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) was announced on Wednesday. The tournament will kick off with a blockbuster game between defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28. Five-time champions Mumbai Indians face Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium the next day. As reported earlier, only the schedule until April 12 has been announced so far.
Schedule
IPL 2026 schedule in two phases
On Tuesday, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told IANS, "We plan to announce the IPL 2026 schedule by March 12. For now, we are going to announce the IPL schedule for the first 20 days." The remaining fixtures will be announced later as the BCCI plans to avoid any clash with assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, and Tamil Nadu.
Twitter Post
Official schedule of first phase
🚨 News 🚨
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 11, 2026
Presenting the schedule for the first 20 matches of #TATAIPL 2026, to be played from March 28 to April 12, 2026 🗓️
Full schedule will be announced once poll dates are announced for three states set to undergo State Assembly elections.
More details ▶️… pic.twitter.com/8Iq492v8TE
Venue
Opener at M Chinnaswamy Stadium
As mentioned, the opening match will be held at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which was earlier under fire for the 2025 stampede incident that left 11 people dead and several injured. Although the Karnataka government gave the stadium the required clearance to host the IPL matches, it is subject to clearance from an expert committee constituted by the Karnataka state government, as per an IPL release.
Details
More details on the schedule
As per the schedule announced, the first phase will have 20 matches, including four double-headers on April 4-5 and 11-12. All 10 teams have been assigned four matches each in this phase. Notably, Rajasthan Royals will play three home games in Guwahati and four others at Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Similarly, RCB will play two matches in Raipur, with Dharamsala hosting three games of Punjab Kings.