The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will disclose the schedule for the first 20 matches of the IPL 2026 season by March 13, as confirmed by Secretary Devajit Saikia. This announcement will encompass the opening segment of the tournament, while details regarding the remaining fixtures will be provided later.

India is still basking in the glow of its T20 World Cup victory, having triumphed against New Zealand in the final on March 8. The focus is now shifting towards the upcoming IPL season, which is set to kick off on March 28—a date previously announced by broadcaster Star Sports. However, the BCCI will release the match schedule in phases, primarily due to the impending assembly elections in various states that may influence logistics and security measures during the event.

In a statement to ANI, Saikia indicated that the board is carefully navigating around the election timeline to finalize the early stages of the IPL schedule. “We will announce the first 20-day schedule of IPL in 2 or 3 days after considering the election dates in a few states and will announce the rest of the tournament schedule later,” he said.

Impact of Upcoming Elections on Schedule Release

The assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala are expected to coincide with the IPL window, prompting the BCCI to adopt a flexible strategy while determining venues and match timings. This approach seeks to mitigate any possible disruption that may arise due to the electoral processes in those regions.

This information comes shortly after it was revealed that the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will serve as the venue for the IPL 2026 final. The stadium will also host four group-stage matches for the defending champions and two playoff matches during the tournament. This decision carries particular significance as the stadium was closed to major cricket events for the past year.

Events at the Chinnaswamy Stadium were suspended following a tragic incident during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 title celebrations, which resulted in 11 deaths and numerous injuries due to a stampede. Consequently, the venue missed hosting several scheduled matches during the ICC Women’s World Cup and was also excluded from the host list for the recently completed ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

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