Finally, cricket fans have received the news they have been waiting for the official announcement of the IPL 2026 Schedule. But what the fans are seeing now is that the organizers have announced the schedule for the initial matches of the series.
The upcoming season of the Indian Premier League is expected to bring a series of interesting matches from the beginning of the series, with top teams competing against each other in the first few days of the tournament.
Opening Match of IPL 2026
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The opening match of the IPL 2026 Schedule will see the defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore locking horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
In the previous editions of the IPL, the opening match has been played between the finalists of the previous season, but for the upcoming season, the teams are different. The game will take place at the famous M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Opening Match Details
On Saturday, March 28th, 2026, the 2026 IPL will commence with a match-up between the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Bengaluru, generating great anticipation for the kickoff of IPL 2026 and attracting high levels of excitement and fan participation.
Game 2 of IPL 2026 will be played between two of the most successful franchises in cricket history, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), at the internationally renowned Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Match Details
Date: March 29th 2026 (Sunday) Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders Team Two MUMBAI Home of IPL 2026 Trading Derby CSK vs RR. There has been extensive discussion of the third IPL 2026 match played between Rajasthan Royal and Chennai Super Kings. The match has been termed the “Trade Derby” because of the massive trade between the two teams before the season began.
Sanju Samson has joined CSK
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Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran have joined RR
The match will be held in Guwahati and is expected to be one of the most thrilling matches of the season.
Date: March 30, 2026 (Monday)
Match: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings
Venue: Guwahati
Punjab Kings to Start Campaign on Day 4
Last season’s runners-up Punjab Kings are scheduled to play their first match of the IPL 2026 Schedule on day 4 against Gujarat Titans.
The venue of this match is Mullanpur.
IPL 2026 Schedule
| Date | Match | Venue |
| March 28, 2026 | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Bengaluru |
| March 29, 2026 | Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Mumbai |
| March 30, 2026 | Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings | Guwahati |
| March 31, 2026 | Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans | Mullanpur |
| April 1, 2026 | Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals | Lucknow |
| April 2, 2026 | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Kolkata |
| April 3, 2026 | Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings | Chennai |
| April 4, 2026 | Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians | Delhi |
| April 4, 2026 | Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals | Ahmedabad |
| April 5, 2026 | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Lucknow Super Giants | Hyderabad |
| April 5, 2026 | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings | Bengaluru |
| April 6, 2026 | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings | Kolkata |
| April 7, 2026 | Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians | Guwahati |
| April 8, 2026 | Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Titans | Delhi |
| April 9, 2026 | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants | Kolkata |
| April 10, 2026 | Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore | Guwahati |
| April 11, 2026 | Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Mullanpur |
| April 11, 2026 | Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals | Chennai |
| April 12, 2026 | Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans | Lucknow |
| April 12, 2026 | Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore | Mumbai |
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