IPL 2026 opens tonight
The Indian Premier League 2026 kicks off March 28 — 70 league matches are scheduled through May 31, and opening night features Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chinnaswamy Stadium after a year away. Expect heavy travel demand and packed stadium plans as the season ramps up. (espncricinfo.com) (nytimes.com)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru confirmed they will stage five of their seven home league matches at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium this season, with the remaining two scheduled for the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. (royalchallengers.com) The franchise says it has spent roughly ₹7 crore on a stadium safety overhaul — installing AI-enabled CCTV, multiple baggage scanners and new command centres as part of enhanced crowd-management systems. (indiatoday.in) RCB has announced matchday tributes for the 11 fans who died during last year’s victory celebrations: players will wear black armbands and the club plans to keep 11 seats permanently vacant at Chinnaswamy. (indianexpress.com) The IPL released its fixtures in two phases because assembly elections in states including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu require venue clearances; the first-phase schedule covers matches through mid-April. (espncricinfo.com) Organisers and the Karnataka State Cricket Association have cleared M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to host playoff fixtures and the May 31 final, returning the venue to centre stage for the tournament’s climax. (ipl.com) The domestic broadcast landscape remains split between television and digital rights after the recent rights cycle, while the league’s calendar includes a substantial number of doubleheaders across venues to compress fixtures. (sportspro.com)
