The 19th edition of the IPL started on 28th March 2026 and will continue till 31st May 2026 with 10 teams competing for the title. Defending champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) started the season with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The most important moments of the tournament are now in the past, and the teams are playing for playoff spots with all guns blazing, with the fans enjoying record-high scores and some of the season's most spectacular plays.
Over the years, the IPL has grown to become one of the most valuable and watched T20 cricket leagues in the world, attracting fans from around the globe, the best cricketers and important sponsorships. The upcoming edition of IPL 2026 has followed the same path with the stadiums being packed with fans, massive digital viewership and having a record 200-plus team totals this season. The playoff race has become even more interesting as the likes of RCB, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders are among the top contenders.
Team Auction Budgets for IPL 2026
The mini auction took place on 16th December 2025 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, with all 10 franchises beefing up their squads for IPL 2026. Around ₹237.55 crore was spent by the teams to complete their squad during the auction, which saw 77 players sold. A good mix of Indian and overseas talent was seen at the auction, with 31 overseas slots available in all the franchises. The Kolkata Knight Riders started the auction with the highest bid with a purse of ₹64.30 crore, while a few teams put an emphasis on signing key players for a balanced team for the upcoming IPL 2026 season.
Here’s a breakdown of each franchise's auction budget and spending:
| Franchise | Auction Budget (INR Crore) | Amount Spent (INR Crore) | Remaining Purse (INR Crore) | Players Acquired | Overseas Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punjab Kings | 110.5 | 110.15 | 0.35 | 23 | 8 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 83 | 82.25 | 0.75 | 22 | 8 |
| Delhi Capitals | 73 | 72.8 | 0.2 | 21 | 7 |
| Gujarat Titans | 69 | 68.85 | 0.15 | 20 | 7 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 69 | 68.9 | 0.1 | 20 | 7 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 55 | 54.95 | 0.05 | 20 | 7 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 51 | 50.95 | 0.05 | 19 | 6 |
| Mumbai Indians | 45 | 44.8 | 0.2 | 20 | 8 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 45 | 44.8 | 0.2 | 20 | 5 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 41 | 40.7 | 0.3 | 19 | 7 |
Venue for IPL 2026
IPL 2026 is set to be played across 13 venues this time, with 70 league matches and four playoffs. The tournament will be played within 65 days.
Here are the thirteen venues decided:
- Eden Gardens, Kolkata
- Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad
- M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
- Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
- Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
- M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
- BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
- Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
- Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
- HPCA Cricket Stadium, Dharamsala
- Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Stadium, Mullanpur
- ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam
IPL Format
The current season has 10 teams that are divided into two virtual groups A and B.
| Group A | Group B |
|---|---|
| Chennai Super Kings | Mumbai Indians |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Rajasthan Royals | Gujarat Titans |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Delhi Capitals |
| Punjab Kings | Lucknow Super Giants |
IPL Schedule 2026
| Match No | Date | Day | Start | Match Details | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28-MAR-26 | Sat | 7:30 PM | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Bengaluru |
| 2 | 29-MAR-26 | Sun | 7:30 PM | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians | Mumbai |
| 3 | 30-MAR-26 | Mon | 7:30 PM | Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals | Guwahati |
| 4 | 31-MAR-26 | Tue | 7:30 PM | Gujarat Titans vs Punjab Kings | New Chandigarh |
| 5 | 01-APR-26 | Wed | 7:30 PM | Delhi Capitals vs Lucknow Super Giants | Lucknow |
| 6 | 02-APR-26 | Thu | 7:30 PM | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Kolkata |
| 7 | 03-APR-26 | Fri | 7:30 PM | Punjab Kings vs Chennai Super Kings | Chennai |
| 8 | 04-APR-26 | Sat | 3:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals | Delhi |
| 9 | 04-APR-26 | Sat | 7:30 PM | Rajasthan Royals vs Gujarat Titans | Ahmedabad |
| 10 | 05-APR-26 | Sun | 3:30 PM | Lucknow Super Giants vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Hyderabad |
| 11 | 05-APR-26 | Sun | 7:30 PM | Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Bengaluru |
| 12 | 06-APR-26 | Mon | 7:30 PM | Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Kolkata |
| 13 | 07-APR-26 | Tue | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals | Guwahati |
| 14 | 08-APR-26 | Wed | 7:30 PM | Gujarat Titans vs Delhi Capitals | Delhi |
| 15 | 09-APR-26 | Thu | 7:30 PM | Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Kolkata |
| 16 | 10-APR-26 | Fri | 7:30 PM | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Rajasthan Royals | Guwahati |
| 17 | 11-APR-26 | Sat | 3:30 PM | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings | New Chandigarh |
| 18 | 11-APR-26 | Sat | 7:30 PM | Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings | Chennai |
| 19 | 12-APR-26 | Sun | 3:30 PM | Gujarat Titans vs Lucknow Super Giants | Lucknow |
| 20 | 12-APR-26 | Sun | 7:30 PM | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians | Mumbai |
| 21 | 13-APR-26 | Mon | 7:30 PM | Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Hyderabad |
| 22 | 14-APR-26 | Tue | 7:30 PM | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings | Chennai |
| 23 | 15-APR-26 | Wed | 7:30 PM | Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Bengaluru |
| 24 | 16-APR-26 | Thu | 7:30 PM | Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians | Mumbai |
| 25 | 17-APR-26 | Fri | 7:30 PM | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans | Ahmedabad |
| 26 | 18-APR-26 | Sat | 3:30 PM | Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Bengaluru |
| 27 | 18-APR-26 | Sat | 7:30 PM | Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Hyderabad |
| 28 | 19-APR-26 | Sun | 3:30 PM | Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Kolkata |
| 29 | 19-APR-26 | Sun | 7:30 PM | Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings | New Chandigarh |
| 30 | 20-APR-26 | Mon | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Titans | Ahmedabad |
| 31 | 21-APR-26 | Tue | 7:30 PM | Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Hyderabad |
| 32 | 22-APR-26 | Wed | 7:30 PM | Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants | Lucknow |
| 33 | 23-APR-26 | Thu | 7:30 PM | Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians | Mumbai |
| 34 | 24-APR-26 | Fri | 7:30 PM | Gujarat Titans vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Bengaluru |
| 35 | 25-APR-26 | Sat | 3:30 PM | Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals | Delhi |
| 36 | 25-APR-26 | Sat | 7:30 PM | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals | Jaipur |
| 37 | 26-APR-26 | Sun | 3:30 PM | Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings | Chennai |
| 38 | 26-APR-26 | Sun | 7:30 PM | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants | Lucknow |
| 39 | 27-APR-26 | Mon | 7:30 PM | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Capitals | Delhi |
| 40 | 28-APR-26 | Tue | 7:30 PM | Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings | New Chandigarh |
| 41 | 29-APR-26 | Wed | 7:30 PM | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians | Mumbai |
| 42 | 30-APR-26 | Thu | 7:30 PM | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans | Ahmedabad |
| 43 | 01-MAY-26 | Fri | 7:30 PM | Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals | Jaipur |
| 44 | 02-MAY-26 | Sat | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings | Chennai |
| 45 | 03-MAY-26 | Sun | 3:30 PM | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Hyderabad |
| 46 | 03-MAY-26 | Sun | 7:30 PM | Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans | Ahmedabad |
| 47 | 04-MAY-26 | Mon | 7:30 PM | Lucknow Super Giants vs Mumbai Indians | Mumbai |
| 48 | 05-MAY-26 | Tue | 7:30 PM | Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals | Delhi |
| 49 | 06-MAY-26 | Wed | 7:30 PM | Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Hyderabad |
| 50 | 07-MAY-26 | Thu | 7:30 PM | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Lucknow Super Giants | Lucknow |
| 51 | 08-MAY-26 | Fri | 7:30 PM | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals | Delhi |
| 52 | 09-MAY-26 | Sat | 7:30 PM | Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals | Jaipur |
| 53 | 10-MAY-26 | Sun | 3:30 PM | Lucknow Super Giants vs Chennai Super Kings | Chennai |
| 54 | 10-MAY-26 | Sun | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Raipur |
| 55 | 11-MAY-26 | Mon | 7:30 PM | Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings | Dharamshala |
| 56 | 12-MAY-26 | Tue | 7:30 PM | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Gujarat Titans | Ahmedabad |
| 57 | 13-MAY-26 | Wed | 7:30 PM | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Raipur |
| 58 | 14-MAY-26 | Thu | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings | Dharamshala |
| 59 | 15-MAY-26 | Fri | 7:30 PM | Chennai Super Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants | Lucknow |
| 60 | 16-MAY-26 | Sat | 7:30 PM | Gujarat Titans vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Kolkata |
| 61 | 17-MAY-26 | Sun | 3:30 PM | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings | Dharamshala |
| 62 | 17-MAY-26 | Sun | 7:30 PM | Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Capitals | Delhi |
| 63 | 18-MAY-26 | Mon | 7:30 PM | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings | Chennai |
| 64 | 19-MAY-26 | Tue | 7:30 PM | Lucknow Super Giants vs Rajasthan Royals | Jaipur |
| 65 | 20-MAY-26 | Wed | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Kolkata |
| 66 | 21-MAY-26 | Thu | 7:30 PM | Chennai Super Kings vs Gujarat Titans | Ahmedabad |
| 67 | 22-MAY-26 | Fri | 7:30 PM | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Hyderabad |
| 68 | 23-MAY-26 | Sat | 7:30 PM | Punjab Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants | Lucknow |
| 69 | 24-MAY-26 | Sun | 3:30 PM | Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians | Mumbai |
| 70 | 24-MAY-26 | Sun | 7:30 PM | Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Kolkata |
