The cricket summer in India is about to begin on the 28th of March 2026. This 19th season of the Indian Premier League comes with its own challenges that every fan should be aware of before the season begins.
The BCCI has announced the first phase of the schedule of IPL 2026, rather than the complete schedule, due to planning being affected by the upcoming elections. The concerns not only revolve around the schedule, but the teams like RCB & RR are dealing with venue issues as well, multiple injury concerns of the key players that have impacted the full strength of every IPL team.
The season is yet to begin, and the pre-season drama & fan wars have already started. So buckle up & read all the details below that you should know & how your favourite team is impacted.
Schedule for Phase 1
The season will start on the 28th of March 2026, featuring the pilot match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Sunrise Hyderabad (SRH), where RCB will start the season as the defending champion, which sounds like a delight to RCB fans. The first phase is scheduled until April 12, 2026, by the BCCI.
Total no. of matches in phase 1: 20
Cities hosting these 20 matches in phase 1 of IPL 2026
- Bengaluru
- Mumbai
- Guwahati
- New Chandigarh
- Lucknow
- Kolkata
- Chennai
- Delhi
- Ahmedabad
- Hyderabad
The IPL Authorities & BCCI are aiming to conduct 84 matches, thus the remaining 64 matches’ schedule will be decided & announced as the season progresses, but the total number of matches might be affected.
Key details for IPL 2026
- Key Details for IPL 2026:
- Total Matches: 84 (80 league matches + 4 Playoffs).
- Matches Per Team: 16 matches
- Dates: March 28 – May 31, 2026
- Final Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
IPL 2026 Schedule for 1st phase
| IPL 2026 Fixtures | ||||
| Match No. | Match | Venue | Date | Timing |
| 1 | RCB vs SRH | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | MAR, SAT 28 | 7:30 PM IST |
| 2 | MI vs KKR | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | MAR, SUN 29 | 7:30 PM IST |
| 3 | RR vs CSK | ACA Stadium, Guwahati | MAR, MON 30 | 7:30 PM IST |
| 4 | PBKS vs GT | PCA International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh | MAR, TUE 31 | 7:30 PM IST |
| 5 | LSG vs DC | Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow | APR, WED 1 | 7:30 PM IST |
| 6 | KKR vs SRH | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | APR, THU 2 | 7:30 PM IST |
| 7 | CSK vs PBKS | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | APR, FRI 3 | 7:30 PM IST |
| 8 | DC vs MI | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | APR, SAT 4 | 7:30 PM IST |
| 9 | GT vs RR | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | APR, SAT 4 | 7:30 PM IST |
| 10 | SRH vs LSG | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad | APR, SUN 5 | 3:30 pm IST |
| 11 | RCB vs CSK | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | APR, SUN 5 | 7:30 pm IST |
| 12 | KKR vs PBKS | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | APR, SUN 5 | 7:30 pm IST |
| 13 | RR vs MI | ACA Stadium, Guwahati | APR, TUE 7 | 7:30 pm IST |
| 14 | DC vs GT | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | APR, WED 8 | 7:30 pm IST |
| 15 | KKR vs LSG | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | APR, THU 9 | 7:30 pm IST |
| 16 | RR vs RCB | ACA Stadium, Guwahati | APR, FRI 10 | 7:30 pm IST |
| 17 | PBKS vs SRH | PCA International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh | APR, SAT 11 | 3:30 P.M IST |
| 18 | CSK vs DC | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | APR, SAT 11 | 7:30 pm IST |
| 19 | LSG vs GT | Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow | APR, SUN 12 | 3:30 pm IST |
| 20 | MI vs RCB | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | APR, SUN 12 | 7:30 pm IST |
Timing & Broadcast Details
Timing Details:
The timing for the IPL 2026 Matches follows the same as IPL 2025:
- Evening matches at 7:30
- Day Matches at 3:30
Double headers in phase 1 are mostly scheduled for the weekends, following both Saturday and Sunday.
Broadcast Details:
The matches will be broadcasted both in TV and streaming networks for mobile viewership, where broadcasters for TV are Star Sports Network and Jio Hotstar for digital streaming.
IPL 2026 Auction Highlights
The IPL 2026 auction was a mini auction where Franchises bid for only released players, with a limited pool of experienced and marquee players available, this auction was one of the most financially and strategically aggressive in comparison to recent years.
The Franchises have spent over ₹215 crore on 77 players to strengthen their squad, where most of the amount were spent by Franchises like CSK & KKR due to poor performances in previous season.
This auction came out different in comparison to previous as some of the uncapped players bagged over 10cr.
Follow below all the auction highlights below:
Key Buys & Most Expensive Players
The catch at this season was that BCCI fixed the maximum receivable amount at INR 18 crore for overseas players, even if the bid goes above it, and the rest of the amount will be redirected to the welfare fund.
Most expensive Buys:
The Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green became the most expensive player in IPL history by bagging INR 25.20 Crore, who will be playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders this season.
Other expensive signings:
- Matheesha Pathirana – ₹18 crore (KKR)
- Liam Livingstone – ₹13 crore (SRH)
- Mustafizur Rahman – ₹9.20 crore (KKR)
- Josh Inglis – ₹8.60 crore (LSG)
Surprising Picks:
While a limited pool of marquee players was being sold at huge prices, there were also uncapped young guns who were picked at huge prices:
- Prashant Veer – ₹14.20 crore (CSK)
- Kartik Sharma – ₹14.20 crore (CSK)
- Auqib Nabi Dar – ₹8.4 crore (DC)
This auction revealed that franchises are not just relying on the big names but on who can fulfil the role effectively.
Auction overview for each Franchise:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
The Defending Champions of the 2026 IPL, RCB, once again emerge as one of the strongest squads, where they went for 1 key player for playing 11 (Venkatesh Iyer) and the rest are just backup players. This auction for RCB was not much of a work, but a chance to build a well-balanced squad capable of defending the title.
Players bought by RCB in IPL 2026:
- Venkatesh Iyer – INR 7 cr.
- Mangesh Yadav – INR 5.2 cr.
- Jacob Duffy. – INR 2 cr.
- Jordan Cox – INR 75 L.
- Satvik Deswal – INR 30 L.
- Vicky Ostwal – INR 30 L.
- Vihaan Malhotra – INR 30 L.
- Kanishk Chouhan – INR 30 L.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
With CSK finishing last at IPL 2025, they took significant steps to release multiple players to reframe a new squad around the youngsters who have the potential to shine. They played a notable and surprising move of trading their veteran player Ravindra Jadeja and all-rounder Sam Curran to Rajasthan for Sanju Samson from RR. This made their intentions clear that they want to build the squad around Sanju Samson. Though in the auction, they spent huge amounts on the uncapped Indian players who played explosively in the domestic circuit.
Players bought by CSK in IPL 2026:
- Prashant Veer – INR 14.2 cr
- Kartik Sharma – INR 14.2 cr
- Rahul Chahar – INR 5.2 cr
- Akeal Hosein- INR 2 cr.
- Matt Henry – INR 2 cr
- Matthew Short – INR 1.5 cr
- Sarfaraz Khan – INR 75 L
- Zak Foulkes – INR 75 L
- Aman Khan – INR 40 L
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
The KKR made the headlines pre-auction as their star all-rounder Andre Russell was released, as well as retired to rejoin the camp as a power coach. Before entering the auction, they released multiple players to ensure they enter the auction with the most money and enter the season with their desired squad. As predicted by everyone, the KKR went heavy on the players and purchased some marquee players, as well as the young uncapped players who will fulfil the desired role.
Players bought by KKR in IPL 2026
- Cameron Green – INR 25.2 cr.
- Matheesha Pathirana – INR 18 cr
- Tejasvi Singh – INR 3 cr.
- Finn Allen – INR 2 cr.
- Rachin Ravindra – INR 2 cr
- Tim Seifert – INR 1.5 cr
- Akash Deep – INR 1 cr
- Rahul Tripathi – INR 75 L
- Kartik Tyagi – INR 30 L
- Prashant Solanki – INR 30 L
- Sarthak Ranjan – INR 30 L
- Daksh Kamra – INR 30 L
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Mumbai Indians with one of the most well balanced squad did not needed to do much for the auction since they entered the auction with the purse balance of only INR 2.75 cr, as they already did their work during the trading window, where they got players like Mayank Markande, Shardul Thakur and Shurfane Rutherford to complete their squad. Even with such a low purse balance they still managed to get certain players.
Players bought by MI in IPL 2026
- Quinton De Kock – INR 1 cr.
- Danish Malewar – INR 30 L.
- Mohammad Izhar – INR 30 L.
- Atharva Ankolekar – INR 30 L.
- Mayank Rawat – INR 30 L.
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Delhi Capital never fails to amaze the fans with their squad every year, once again they look the most complete, well balanced on paper squad. DC this year can emerge as one of the primary contenders for the trophy. During the trade window they managed to get the dependable middle order batting allrounder Nitish Rana from RR. In the auction they bagged some key players under the radar and at the base price which surprised many fans.
Players bought by DC in IPL 2026
- Auqib Dar Nabi – INR 8.4 cr
- Pathum Nissanka – INR 4 cr
- David Miller – INR 2 cr
- Ben Duckett – INR 2 cr
- Lungisani Ngidi – INR 2 cr
- Kyle Jamieson – INR 2 cr
- Prithvi Shaw – INR 75 L
- Sahil Parakh – INR 30 L
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
The auction strategy clearly expressed that SRH is still moving with the same mindset of explosive batting, where they managed to buy the players who fit in their scheme of play. The batting order surely has firepower, but the bowling remains a concern due to a lack of dependable and backup options for the bowlers.
Players bought by SRH in IPL 2026
- Liam Livingstone – INR 13 cr.
- Jack Edwards – INR 3 cr.
- Salil Arora – INR 1.5 cr.
- Shivam Mavi – INR 75 L.
- Shivang Kumar – INR 30 L.
- Sakib Hussain – INR 30 L.
- Onkar Tarmale – INR 30 L.
- Amit Kumar – INR 30 L.
- Praful Hinge – INR 30 L.
- Krains Fuletra – INR 30 L.
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
The Rajasthan Royals were the team that made the most headlines during trade windows, and their actions seemed pretty clear on what exactly they want this season. They were aggressive during the trade windows and managed to get some key marquee players like Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran and Donovan Ferreira for their 2026 squad. Not only do they spend well during the trade window, but they also bought the players to complete their squad.
Players bought by RR in IPL 2026
- Ravi Bishnoi – INR 7.2 cr.
- Adam Milne – INR 2.4 cr.
- Ravi Singh – INR 95 L.
- Sushant Mishra – INR 90 L.
- Kuldeep Sen – INR 75 L.
- Yash Raj Punja – INR 30 L.
- Vignesh Puthur – INR 30 L.
- Aman Rao Perala – INR 30 L.
- Brijesh Sharma – INR 30 L.
Gujarat Titans (GT)
GT, being one of the most calculated and strategic teams, moved into the auction with a purse amount of 12.9cr by retaining the core players. They ticked every box they wanted to during the auction and managed to get valuable players for the desired role.
Players bought by GT in IPL 2026
- Jason Holder – INR 7 cr.
- Tom Banton – INR 2 cr.
- Ashok Sharma – INR 90 L.
- Luke Wood – INR 75 L.
- Prithviraj Yarra – INR 30 L.
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Being the finalists of the 2025 IPL, the Punjab Kings were pretty much satisfied with their squad and didn’t need to do much for the auction, thus they entered with the purse amount of 11.5 cr. They released the costly players who couldn’t do much for them in the previous year and aimed to refine their squad.
Players bought by PBKS in IPL 2026
- Ben Dwarshuis – INR 4.4 cr.
- Cooper Connolly – INR 3 cr.
- Pravin Dubey – INR 30 L.
- Vishal Nishad – INR 30 L.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
With a fiery batting order, LSG needed batting backups and good bowling options since most of their retained players were injured in 2025. In the pre-auction trade window, they managed to get the Indian seamers like Mohammad Shami and Arjun Tendulkar. Their auction strategy seemed pretty clear, as they went hard for the bowlers to complete their squad.
Players bought by LSG in IPL 2026
- Josh Inglis – INR 8.6 cr.
- Mukul Choudhary – INR 2.6 cr.
- Akshat Raghuwanshi – INR 2.2 cr.
- Wanindu Hasaranga – INR 2 cr.
- Anrich Nortje – INR 2 cr.
- Naman Tiwari – INR 1 cr.
The player availability headache:
Most of the teams did manage to get what they really wanted while other teams spent strategically. The franchises look mostly satisfied with their purchases at the IPL auction 2026.
Even before the season kickoff, the injuries, international commitments, and travel issues have affected all franchises; the situation is quite concerning for the fans and the franchises, as it has disrupted their team balance.
Players Ruled Out of IPL 2026
- Harshit Rana (KKR) – Knee surgery
- Akash Deep (KKR) – Back injury
- Nathan Ellis (CSK) – Hamstring injury
- Sam Curran (RR) – Groin injury (replaced by Dasun Shanaka)
- Jack Edwards (SRH) – Foot injury
Players Awaiting NOC
Many South African & West Indies players may miss early matches due to travel disruptions and scheduling conflicts
- Quinton de Kock (MI)
- David Miller (DC)
- Kagiso Rabada (GT)
- Shimron Hetmyer (RR)
- Jason Holder (GT)
Injured Players likely to Join Later
The following players are injured but likely to join the season later on
- Pat Cummins (SRH) – Back injury, doubtful early phase
- Josh Hazlewood (RCB) – Out for the first few weeks
- Matheesha Pathirana (KKR) – Likely to miss the opening phase
- Wanindu Hasaranga (LSG) – Injury concerns, availability uncertain
- Mohsin Khan (LSG) – Injury recovery phase
Most franchises have already begun looking for backup options, while others are experimenting with their playing XI; thus, it will be worth watching which team will brilliantly counter to manage such situations.
The upcoming season of the Indian Premier League is gonna be highly unpredictable, like all previous seasons, but it won’t fail to deliver the spicy drama that fans have been waiting for.
Stay tuned for more such info on IPL 2026 season and keep following Echo News Network
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