IPL Governing Council clears release of 2026 fixtures in two phases

The IPL Governing Council has formally cleared the first half of the schedule for the 2026 IPL. In an online meeting held on Monday, the GC has decided to release the fixtures for the 19th edition in two phases, with the first phase announcement expected on March 6-7. 

Owing to uncertainty around the State Assembly Election dates and with the limited time left for the start of the competition, the BCCI have decided to release the fixtures in two phases, as per Cricbuzz. This is a practice that has been undertaken in previous election years, with the first phase to cover roughly the first two weeks of the tournament. 

In a recent communication to franchises, BCCI CEO and acting IPL COO Hemang Amin conveyed that practice session schedules were yet to be finalised and would be shared next week. The communication also stated that the No-Objection-Certificates for overseas players (NOC) would be shared together, in the coming days. The BCCI is still waiting on Occupation Standards Classification for Australia [OSCA] from CA (Cricket Australia) and individual player NOCs from CSA (Cricket South Africa). These documents, once received, would be forwarded to the BCCI in a single email.

The franchises were also informed that the delay in announcement of the schedule for the 2026 season of the IPL was due to the pending announcement by the Election Commission over poll dates in West Bengal, Assam, and Tamil Nadu. Details regarding the pre-tournament captains’ meeting were also suggested to be shared next week.

Bengaluru slated to host IPL Final

Following the announcement from the Royal Challengers Bengaluru regarding the hosting of five games at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the season opener is expected to be held there, by virtue of being the home of the defending champions. The secretary of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, Santosh Menon, later announced in a press conference that Bengaluru would host a playoff game and also the final of the tournament. 

While the fixtures are yet to be finalised, the start of the IPL could see a pushback by two days. The tournament is now likely to start on March 28-29, with the finals still expected to take place on May 31.