Why hasn’t IPL 2026 schedule been announced yet? What are the reasons for delay? Explained in details

Even after announcing the possible dates for the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League, the BCCI has not yet revealed the full match schedule. The board had earlier said that the tournament would take place from March 26 to May 31. However, there is now a possibility that the IPL dates could be pushed forward. This is because several states in India are holding assembly elections this year, which may affect the league.

When will the match schedule be released?

BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla confirmed that the match schedule can only be released after the Election Commission announces the election dates. Let’s break it down into some points to understand the current update.

What were the tentative dates?

Although the full schedule has not been shared yet, the tentative dates were announced in December. It was expected that IPL 2026 would start on March 26 and the final would be on May 31. A total of 84 matches are planned, with the opening game between last year’s champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the runners-up Punjab Kings.

What are the reasons?

In a conversation with IANS, BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla said that the full IPL schedule is not being announced yet because of assembly elections in some states. He explained that the BCCI does not want the match dates to clash with voting in any state. The board is working on the IPL schedule, but it is waiting for the election dates to be declared. Once the dates are known, they will be able to finalize the tournament schedule.

Several states in India will have assembly elections this year. The BCCI is keeping an eye on the election dates in Assam, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Rajasthan Royals have their home matches scheduled at Barsapara Stadium in Assam. Chennai’s M. A. Chidambaram Stadium is the home ground for CSK, while KKR plays its home matches at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

According to a report, “As far as the home venues of RCB and RR are concerned, we have asked the franchises to take a final call and inform us within a week. Once the teams finalise their venues, we will prepare the schedule accordingly. So, at this stage, we are waiting for the teams’ decisions as well as the announcement of the election dates,” said BCCI source.

Rajasthan Royals’ usual home ground is Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. However, due to a dispute between the Rajasthan Cricket Association and the franchise, matches may not be held there. Rajasthan might choose Guwahati as their home ground, but elections are scheduled there as well.

Is RCB’s home venue finalized yet?

The IPL’s opening game is usually held at the home ground of the defending champion, which means the first match should be at Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s ground. However, RCB’s home venue has not been finalized yet. Traditionally, RCB has played at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium since the first season, but after last year’s stampede that caused several deaths, the state government had banned matches there.

Last week, the state government allowed the Karnataka State Cricket Association to host IPL and international games under certain conditions. RCB also announced that they would install an AI-based system costing Rs 4.5 crore to prevent accidents in the future.