The BCCI revealed the whole league phase schedule on Thursday and said that the second phase of the IPL 2026 will start on April 13 and end on May 24.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad will square off in the league opener on Saturday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium as part of the first phase, which runs from March 28 to April 12. Bengaluru will host the final on May 31.
“The remainder of the league stage, comprising 50 matches, will be played from April 13 to May 24, 2026, across 12 venues in India,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said in a statement.
“Matches in the second phase will be held in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Dharamshala, Raipur and New Chandigarh,” he added.
“As the tournament enters a crucial phase, teams will compete across venues for a place in the playoffs, with the race expected to intensify through the latter half of the league stage.”
Sunrisers Hyderabad will play Rajasthan Royals in Hyderabad on April 13, kicking off an entertaining sequence of games.
There will be eight double-headers in the second phase. During this phase, Punjab Kings will play their home games in New Chandigarh and Dharamshala, with three of the games taking place at the latter location.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play three home games in Bengaluru and two in Raipur, while Rajasthan Royals will host four home games in Jaipur.
At a later time, the playoff venue will be announced.
