RCB’s Virat Kohli lifts the Indian Premier League trophy (Getty Images)
The next edition of the Indian Premier League will kick off on March 28, 2026, with official broadcaster Star Sports confirming the start date on Sunday. The announcement was made shortly before the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup final between the Indian national cricket team and the New Zealand national cricket team at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.While the opening date of the tournament has now been revealed, the detailed schedule for the IPL 2026 season is still awaited from the league organisers.
IPL 2026: RCB confirms their home venue for the upcoming edition
See also: IND vs NZ T20 World Cup 2026 live scoreThe defending champions heading into the new campaign are Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who clinched the 2025 title after defeating Punjab Kings by six runs in the final held in Ahmedabad.Earlier this month, Santosh Menon, secretary of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, confirmed that M.
Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium will host five home matches for RCB during the upcoming season. However, not all of RCB’s home matches will be played in Bengaluru. The remaining two matches will be played at home at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.In an official statement issued earlier this week, the franchise expressed its appreciation to the authorities who helped facilitate the return of IPL matches to Bengaluru.
“RCB expresses its sincere gratitude to the Karnataka Government, Karnataka State Cricket Association and Karnataka Police for their guidance, cooperation and unwavering support in facilitating the hosting of the matches in Bengaluru. The collective efforts to enhance infrastructure and safety measures in time for the IPL season have ensured that the defending champions play the majority of their home matches at home,” the statement read.Royal Challengers Bengaluru CEO Rajesh Menon highlighted the importance of Chinnaswamy Stadium for the franchise and its supporters.“The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is more than just our home ground, it is where our identity as a team comes alive. The energy that our fans bring to Bengaluru has always been a driving force for our players, inspiring them at every stage of the game. Our fans have stood by us unconditionally, and they deserve the opportunity to watch their team compete on home soil.”“After detailed discussions and completion of necessary clearance formalities, we are happy to confirm that RCB will play five matches in Bengaluru. We sincerely thank the Government of Karnataka, KSCA and Karnataka Police for their support in making this possible,” Menon added.Cricket activity has been suspended at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium since June last year following the tragic stampede during RCB’s IPL 2025 title celebrations, in which 11 people lost their lives and several others were injured. The upcoming season will see the return of IPL matches to the iconic Bengaluru stadium.