IPL 2026 Full Schedule: All 74 Matches, Dates, Teams & Venues Results

IPL 2026 — Complete Tournament Hub

Seventy-four matches. Ten franchises. One trophy waiting in Bengaluru on May 31. The 19th edition of the Indian Premier League isn’t just another season — it’s a return to the double-robin format where every team faces each other twice, home and away, making consistency the ultimate currency.

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru begin their title defense against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28 at Chinnaswamy, kicking off a 65-day sprint that will crown a new champion or see RCB become the first back-to-back winner since CSK in 2010-11.

Quick Facts

Full Schedule & Fixtures — All 74 Matches

Phase 1: Matches 1-20 (March 28 – April 12)

Phase 1 Analysis: The opening 20 matches set the early tone with defending champions RCB starting strong at home. Four matches already decided — RCB, MI, RR, and PBKS registered opening wins, while DC shocked LSG in Lucknow and SRH bounced back against KKR at Eden Gardens.

Phase 2: Matches 21-70 (April 13 – May 24)

Phase 2 Analysis: The remaining 50 matches introduce three new venues — Raipur, Dharamshala, and Jaipur hosting RR’s home games — while the playoff race intensifies. The final week delivers five consecutive double-headers from May 17-24, with the league stage closing at Wankhede and Eden Gardens on May 24.

All Venues — 13 Stadiums Across India

Venue Insights: Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium hosts the most matches (8) thanks to its 132,000 capacity — the world’s largest cricket ground [ipl2026.com.in]. RCB plays two “home” games in Raipur, marking the city’s IPL debut, while PBKS splits home fixtures between Mullanpur and the scenic Dharamshala venue in the Himalayan foothills.

Tournament Format Explained

League Stage Structure

Each of the 10 teams plays 14 matches — seven at home, seven away — in a double round-robin format. This means every franchise faces each other twice, eliminating the group-system complexity from 2022-25 and returning to the purest IPL format .

Points System:

• Win: 2 points
• Loss: 0 points
• Tie/No Result: 1 point each
• Super Over decides tied matches

Tiebreaker: Net Run Rate (NRR) separates teams level on points — runs scored per over minus runs conceded per over across the season .

Playoff Qualification

Top 4 teams advance to playoffs with a double-elimination structure:

Finishing 1st or 2nd grants two shots at the Final — the single biggest advantage in IPL playoffs .

Key Matches To Watch

Marquee Rivalries

Playoff-Deciding Fixtures

The final three weeks feature six matches with direct top-four implications:

1. CSK vs MI (May 2, Chennai) — Two perennial top-four sides trading points
2. RCB vs KKR (May 13, Raipur) — Neutral venue adds unpredictability
3. GT vs SRH (May 12, Ahmedabad) — Explosive batting depth on display
4. DC vs RR (May 1 & 17) — Meet twice in 16 days; at least one must-win
5. KKR vs MI (May 20, Kolkata) — Final-week Eden blockbuster with playoff stakes
6. LSG vs CSK (May 15, Lucknow) — Mid-table swing with top-four implications

Playoffs Schedule

Playoff Venues: Mohali hosts the opening two knockout games, while Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy — home of defending champions RCB — stages Qualifier 2 and the Final .

What To Expect — Bold Predictions

RCB’s title defense looks formidable on paper. Patidar’s calm captaincy, Kohli in final prime years, and Chinnaswamy’s batting paradise make them favorites to go back-to-back — something only CSK (2010-11) and KKR (2012, 2014) have achieved in IPL history.

But watch for PBKS. Iyer’s captaincy record speaks for itself — three finals in three years with three different franchises. Ponting’s coaching combined with Arshdeep’s death bowling and Livingstone’s power-hitting gives them the complete package for a breakthrough title .

The format change matters. Double round-robin eliminates lucky group draws — consistency over 14 matches separates contenders from pretenders. Teams with deep squads (GT, MI, CSK) gain advantage over top-heavy lineups.

FAQ

Sandeep Raiza

Sandeep Raiza — Content Writer, Website Designer, SEO Strategist, and WordPress Expert AI specialist delivering impactful digital solutions that drive business growth.Combining creative storytelling with technical expertise.