IPL 2026 Live Schedule Announced: ‘Virat Kohli remains the biggest draw’
Anil Kumble praised Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s bowling unit for their consistent performances throughout the campaign, highlighting the contributions of both the pace and spin departments.
Reflecting on the team’s success, he said that the experienced players and effective duo played a crucial role in them winning the title.
“I feel Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar definitely contributed a lot. The two bowlers, Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, were also a surprise. The bowling unit performed exceptionally well for them to win the trophy.”
Kumble also pointed out that while Virat Kohli remains the biggest draw for fans at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, the strength of RCB’s bowling attack now gives fans greater confidence in the team’s ability to defend the totals.
“So, I think the fans will definitely throng the Chinnaswamy Stadium to watch Virat Kohli. But I’m sure the fans will also be proud that they have a really strong bowling unit that can defend,” he said.
He also shared his views on the controversy over the most successful franchise in the history of the Indian Premier League, placing Mumbai Indians alongside Chennai Super Kings among the league’s record teams.
“MI is very close to or almost the same as CSK when you talk about the greatest team in the IPL, because you can’t really tell one from the other,” he pointed out.
IPL 2026 Live Schedule Announced: ‘Virat played a key role in RCB’s success’
As the 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) begins on March 28, former India captain Anil Kumble spoke about Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s much-awaited title win last year and credited the influence of Virat Kohli and the team’s improved bowling unit for their success.
Kumble explained that while Kohli remained pivotal to the franchise’s rise, the bowlers played a crucial role in helping the team clinch its maiden IPL crown.
“Virat plays a key role in RCB’s success. But if you look at the last year, whenever RCB succeeded, their bowling unit also came to the fore,” he said, speaking on JioStar.
IPL 2026 Live Schedule Announced: ‘Dhoni will play all matches’
Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni is expected to feature in all matches during the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), said Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan, while adding that the team management will take the final decision on his specific role.
The 19th edition of the Indian Premier League is scheduled to begin on March 28, with teams already starting their training camps in preparation for the tournament. Players who were part of the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup are also set to join their teams soon.
With Dhoni set to represent CSK again in IPL 2026, questions have been raised as to whether the veteran will feature in all the matches considering his age. But Casey denied those fears, saying: “He will play all the matches, in my opinion.”
When asked what role Dhoni might play in the team, especially with another striker like Sanju Samson in the team, Kase said the decision would be in the hands of the cricket staff.
“I can’t say that. That’s a cricket decision that will be taken by the cricket staff. Not the management staff. So they will decide whether he plays as a batsman or as a wicket-keeper, or as an influence fielder.”
It is expected that the tournament schedule will be announced soon, taking into account the electoral process scheduled to take place in the country. The five-time champions will play all their home matches in Chennai, Kase confirmed.
“We are supposed to play only in Tamil Nadu. So we are waiting for the schedule to be announced by the BCCI.”
Kase also expressed his happiness over India’s victory in the T20 World Cup and praised CSK players Samson and Shivam Dube for their contributions during the campaign.
“We are very happy that India has won the World Cup and that they have won it twice in a row. We are happy that two of our CSK players, Sanju and Shivam Dubey, have performed very well. This gives us a lot of confidence in the team that is doing well here as well,” he said.
Speaking about preparations for the training camp, Casey added: “Training is going well, and there are no problems so far.”
IPL 2026 Live Schedule Announced: ’19 seasons, one team, one legendary name’
Team India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru side Virat Kohli have begun preparations for the upcoming 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is scheduled to begin on March 28.
Kohli shared a video of himself hitting powerful shots into the net while starting his training. The 39-year-old looked in good form as he smashed a series of impressive putts during a training session at a training center in the UK.
In the clip posted on Instagram, Kohli can be seen working hard at the inner nets. He captioned the post, “IPL 2026” with an hourglass emoji.
The franchise also shared the video, writing, “The running machine looks well oiled. Let’s get started with #IPL2026 already.”
RCB has also created a special tribute to the iconic cricketer, who completed 18 years with the franchise on Wednesday and is set to play his 19th season with the team.
Sharing the post, RCB wrote, “19 seasons, one team, one legendary name. From a promising youngster in 2008 to an irreplaceable icon of the franchise. #OnThisDay, 18 years ago, we signed Virat Kohli through the U-19 Player Draft in the first ever #IPLAuction. Years later, the journey continues with the same passion, the same loyalty, and the same inspiring king all the way.”
Kohli played a crucial role in ending RCB’s long wait for an IPL title in 2025. During the previous season, he was the team’s highest run-scorer, amassing 657 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 144.71.
The Bengaluru-based franchise defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in the final, successfully defending a target of 191. Kohli was his side’s top run scorer in the match, contributing 43 runs off 35 balls.
After retiring from Tests and T20Is, Kohli now only plays ODIs in international cricket. While he moved away from the longer format last year, the former India captain retired from T20Is after India’s win in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, when they defeated the South Africa national cricket team in the final in Barbados.
IPL 2026 Schedule Announced Live: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will host five home matches for RCB
Santosh Menon, secretary, Karnataka State Cricket Association, has confirmed that the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will host five home matches for RCB during IPL 2026. The venue is also scheduled to host the final of the tournament along with one playoff match.
RCB’s remaining two home matches in IPL 2026 will be played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
Cricket has been suspended at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium since June last year after 11 people were killed and several others injured in a stampede during RCB’s IPL 2025 title celebrations. As a result, the venue did not host matches during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup and was also excluded from the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The suspension also affected several domestic and international leagues, which were unable to host matches at the iconic Bengaluru Stadium.
IPL 2026 Live Schedule Announced: Virat Kohli begins preparations
Virat Kohli has begun preparations for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, with videos of the Indian star training in the nets going viral on social media.
In a clip shared on Instagram, the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain was seen undergoing an intense training session, focusing on his batting as he gears up for the new IPL season. The clip quickly caught the attention of fans, who flooded the comments with excitement ahead of the tournament.
The right-handed batsman has been one of the most prolific performers in IPL history, amassing 8,661 runs in 267 matches and 259 innings. Kohli averages 39.54 in the tournament with a strike rate of 132.85, while also scoring eight centuries and 63 half-centuries.
During the 2025 season, the veteran scored 657 runs in 15 matches at an impressive average of 54.75, playing a key role in helping Bengaluru secure their maiden ISL title. Kohli hit eight half-centuries of the campaign and maintained a strike rate of 144.71.
At 8 p.m Ars., the tournament’s official broadcaster, Star Sports, has confirmed that the IPL 2026 season will begin on March 28. However, the organizers have not announced the full schedule for the tournament yet.
RCB enters the new season as the defending champions after defeating Punjab Kings by six runs in the 2025 final held in Ahmedabad.
IPL 2026 Live Schedule Announced: Live Streaming Details
When will the IPL 2026 schedule be announced?
The IPL 2026 schedule will be announced on Wednesday, March 11.
When will the IPL 2026 schedule be announced?
The announcement will be made at 7:00 PM EST.
Where can you watch the IPL 2026 schedule announcement?
The live broadcast of the ad will be available on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the defending champions. They won their first title (IPL Cup 2025) after defeating Punjab Kings in the final.
IPL 2026 Live Schedule Announced: Hello and Welcome!
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the IPL 2026 schedule announcement
After the excitement of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where Team India successfully defended their title, cricket fans have now turned their attention to the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The 2026 season will mark the 19th edition of the tournament, and is set to be the ISL’s biggest season to date, featuring 84 matches, compared to 74 matches in the previous edition.
Speaking about the schedule announcement, Devajit Saikia, Secretary, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said that the schedule for the first 20 days of the tournament will be released soon.
“We will announce the first 20-day schedule of the IPL in two-three days after considering the election dates in some states and will announce the rest of the tournament schedule later,” Saikia told ANI.
The tournament schedule will be released in two phases due to the upcoming state assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
IPL 2026 Schedule Announced Live Updates: IPL 2026 Schedule Announced: Live Streaming Details
When will the IPL 2026 schedule be announced?
The IPL 2026 schedule will be announced on Wednesday, March 11.
When will the IPL 2026 schedule be announced?
The announcement will be made at 7:00 PM EST.
Where can you watch the IPL 2026 schedule announcement?
The live broadcast of the ad will be available on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the defending champions. They won their first title (IPL Cup 2025) after defeating Punjab Kings in the final.