When does IPL 2026 start? When is the final?
However, with assembly elections scheduled in several states, including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, where Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have home grounds, the IPL has released the schedule for only the first 20 games, till April 12.
Do we know the venue for the final?
As of now, we do not know the venue for the final, or any of the playoffs games.
But are there any new venues this season?
Yes, RCB will play two of their home games at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Stadium in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. They are one of the three teams to have two home grounds. Punjab Kings (PBKS) will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamsala, while Rajasthan Royals (RR) will play four in Jaipur and three in Guwahati.
It’s not yet clear whether Delhi Capitals (DC) will play any of their home games in Visakhapatnam, as they did in the previous two seasons.
How have the teams been grouped?
While all ten teams will play four games each in this first phase, it could not be confirmed how they have been grouped. Generally, the teams are split into two virtual groups of five each. Each team plays the other teams in their group twice. From the other group, they will play one team twice and the other four teams once.
What are the match timings?
All evening games will begin at 7.30pm IST. The afternoon games – there are four double-headers in the announced schedule – will begin at 3.30pm.
What’s new to look forward to this time?
Quite a few players have changed teams, thanks to pre-auction trades. Sanju Samson will play for CSK this season after RR traded him for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. Curran, though, has been ruled out of the tournament due to a groin injury. With Samson moving, Riyan Parag will lead RR.
In other trades, Mohammed Shami moved from SRH to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Nitish Rana shifted from RR to DC, Mayank Markande from KKR to Mumbai Indians (MI), Arjun Tendulkar from MI to LSG, and Donovan Ferreira from DC to RR.
And what happened at the auction?
Cameron Green became the most expensive overseas player at an IPL auction when KKR bought him for INR 25.2 crore. KKR also bought Matheesha Pathirana for INR 18 crore. Venkatesh Iyer, who was bought by KKR for INR 23.75 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, was sold to RCB for INR 7 crore.
But it was an auction dominated by uncapped Indian players, with 20-year-old left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Prashant Veer and 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma going to CSK for INR 14.2 crore each. Jammu & Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi also had a big payday, with DC buying him for INR 8.4 crore.
Any other newbies to keep an eye out for?
Gujarat Titans (GT) have signed Ashok Sharma, who touched 150kph during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. LSG have got Mukul Choudhary, who their coach Justin Langer thinks can become “the scariest No. 6 or No. 7 batter in India”. Then there’s RCB’s left-arm seamer Mangesh Yadav, and SRH’s left-arm wristspinners Krains Fuletra and Shivang Kumar. You can read more about them here.
But a lot has been going on with injuries. Who all have been ruled out so far?
Unfortunately, the full list is too long to put here. But KKR’s seam attack has been hit badly with Harshit Rana and Akash Deep being ruled out of the whole tournament, while Pathirana will be available only from mid-April. Earlier, they had to release Mustafizur Rahman upon the BCCI’s directive. They have signed Blessing Muzarabani and Saurabh Dubey as replacements.
SRH captain Pat Cummins will miss the first half of the tournament; Ishan Kishan will lead the side in his absence. RCB’s Josh Hazlewood will also be unavailable for the first few games, while Yash Dayal will miss the entire tournament. CSK’s Nathan Ellis has also been ruled out, and Spencer Johnson has replaced him.
Lockie Ferguson will be absent for PBKS’ first few games to spend some time with his newborn son. At DC, Ben Duckett had pulled out to prioritise his England career, and is likely to face a two-year ban from the IPL. You can check our player availability tracker for the full list.
Any other big names missing?
Glenn Maxwell, who was released by PBKS after IPL 2025, did not put his name in the auction this time. Faf du Plessis and Moeen Ali also did the same after being released by their respective franchises. Maxwell and Moeen will feature in the PSL.
Since you mentioned, the PSL will be played at just two venues and behind closed doors because of the West Asia crisis. Has the IPL been impacted in any way?
There has been no news so far to indicate that. All the overseas players have either joined their respective squads or are on their way.
Have there been any changes to any team’s support staff?
Yes, many teams have revamped their coaching staff. Kumar Sangakkara is back as RR head coach, replacing Rahul Dravid in the role. The Sri Lankan will also be their director of cricket. Vikram Rathour, the batting coach last season, has been elevated to assistant coach.At KKR, Abhishek Nayar has replaced Chandrakant Pandit as head coach. Shane Watson has joined the franchise as an assistant coach; Andre Russell, now retired from the IPL, will be their power coach; and Tim Southee will take over from Bharat Arun as bowling coach.Arun is now the bowling coach of LSG. Carl Crowe will be LSG’s spin-bowling coach, and Kane Williamson their strategic advisor. Zaheer Khan has parted ways with the franchise.
GT have a new batting coach in Matthew Hayden. Vijay Dahiya, the former India wicketkeeper-batter, will be their assistant coach. Ian Bell will be an assistant coach at Delhi Capitals, and former Ireland allrounder John Mooney fielding coach.
Anything else I should know?
That the IPL has effectively been a XII vs XII contest since the introduction of the Impact Player rule in 2023. Also, players can use DRS not just to review lbw or caught-behind decisions but also waist-high no-balls and wides.
Do keep in mind the rules introduced before the 2025 season as well. During the second innings of evening games, fielding teams can get the ball changed once after the tenth over. This rule was brought in to counter dew. And unlike in international cricket, bowlers can use saliva to shine the ball.
Where can I watch IPL 2026 live?
Depending on your location, you can watch the games as per the following.
- Australia: Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports
- England: Sky Sports
- India: Star Sports and JioHotstar
- New Zealand: Sky Sports
- South Africa: SuperSport
- USA: Willow TV
Is MS Dhoni going to retire after this season?
Well, you can hear it from the GOAT’s mouth:
Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
