Published : 28 Feb 2026, 03:01 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 03:25 PM
The 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) has been pushed back by two days, with the opening match now set for Mar 28 and the final scheduled for May 31.
On Friday, ESPNcricinfo reported that the IPL governing body has internally decided to move the start date from the originally planned Mar 26, which had been communicated to franchise owners a day before last December’s auction.
The full schedule is yet to be officially released. The IPL governing council is expected to finalise the fixture list in a meeting next week.
The delay comes as assembly elections in Assam, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are affecting the release of the complete fixtures.
Kolkata (West Bengal) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu) serve as home venues for Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, while Assam’s Guwahati is the second home venue for Rajasthan Royals.
Since the IPL’s inception in 2008, the schedule has been divided into two parts during years with general elections or state assembly elections in India, such as in 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2024.
It is yet to be decided whether the same approach will be followed this year or if the IPL governing council will wait for the Election Commission of India to announce election dates for the three states.
