Tuesday evening brought some much-needed clarity for cricket fans who have been refreshing their feeds for weeks. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia spoke to Cricbuzz on March 10 and confirmed what everyone wanted to hear — the IPL 2026 Schedule drops on March 12, or March 13 at the very latest. The league opens on March 28 and the final is set for May 31.
What We Know About the IPL 2026 Schedule So Far
Unlike previous years where the full fixture list came out together, this time around the BCCI is splitting things into two separate phases. The first phase covers 20 days of cricket and that is what fans get on March 12 or 13.
The second phase release depends entirely on the Election Commission of India. Tamil Nadu, Assam, West Bengal, and Kerala are all heading to state Assembly elections this summer. Several IPL venues fall within these states, which means the board genuinely cannot finalise match allocations for those cities until polling dates are officially declared. It is a practical call, not a delay for the sake of it.
Worth noting — the IPL Governing Council had already approved this two-phase approach back on March 3. Cricbuzz reported it at the time. So this has been in motion for a while now.
New Venue Raipur Joins the IPL 2026 Host Cities
Raipur makes its entry into the IPL host cities list this season, confirmed by Saikia himself. For cricket followers in Chhattisgarh, this has been a long time coming. The city joins the set of established venues that have hosted IPL fixtures over the years.
A few centres are yet to send across their formal confirmations to the board. That is the only thing standing between fans and the official Phase 1 announcement right now.
No Impact from Middle East Conflict, Says BCCI
Given the scale of the Middle East conflict and the global conversations around fuel supply disruptions, it was a fair question to put to the BCCI. Saikia answered it plainly. The board is not working around that factor at this stage and it has not influenced the scheduling process in any way.
The Assembly elections remain the single variable in play. Once those dates are out, the second phase of the IPL 2026 schedule follows. And on May 31 being the final day of the season — Saikia shut down any speculation completely. That date does not move.
Stay Updated with IPL 2026 Match Predictions
A lot is happening in a short span of time. The schedule lands this week, the tournament begins March 28, and the second phase announcement follows whenever the Election Commission moves. For fans trying to keep track of it all, things will only get busier from here.
Follow us through the Indian Premier League 2026 season for ground-level updates, team and venue news, and our detailed IPL Match Predictions — covering every game from the opening fixture to the final.