Synopsis
2026 IPL full schedule, teams: The Indian Premier League 2026 will commence on March 26 and conclude on May 31. The auction saw record bids for players like Cameron Green and uncapped talents. Squads for Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Delhi Capitals have been revealed. The opening match venue remains uncertain.
IPL 2026
The Indian Premier League 2026 is set to begin on March 26 (Thursday) and will conclude on May 31 (Sunday), according to a TOI report. The confirmation of the Season 19 window gives franchises a clear roadmap for planning, even as questions remain over the venue for the opening match.
As per tradition, the defending champions are expected to host the tournament opener. That puts Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in focus, though the venue’s availability is still uncertain.
Chinnaswamy Stadium Opener Still Under Cloud
The IPL dates were formally communicated by IPL CEO Hemang Ami, but the opening fixture location is yet to be locked in. While Bengaluru is the default choice, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has received only conditional clearance from the state government.
The hesitation follows the tragic June 4 stampede during RCB’s IPL title celebrations, which claimed at least 11 lives. Since then, permission for major cricket matches at the venue has been restricted, forcing the BCCI to shift even international fixtures away from the city.
A senior BCCI official, as quoted by TOI, said, “We hope so,” when asked about the possibility of the IPL opener being held at Chinnaswamy. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has also expressed optimism, stating that talks are ongoing between the Home Ministry and KSCA to address safety concerns.
IPL 2026 Auction Highlights: Big Money, New Records
The IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi saw record-breaking bids, especially for overseas stars and uncapped Indian talent.
Kolkata Knight Riders made headlines by signing Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for Rs 25.20 crore, the highest bid of the auction. They also secured Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana for Rs 18 crore.
Uncapped Indian players stole the spotlight too. Prashant Veer (UP) and Kartik Sharma (Rajasthan) were snapped up by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 14.20 crore each, becoming the most expensive uncapped players in IPL auction history.
Meanwhile, Auqib Nabi Dar from Jammu and Kashmir earned Rs 8.40 crore from Delhi Capitals, while Quinton de Kock returned to Mumbai Indians at his base price of Rs 1 crore.
Mumbai Indians Full Squad for IPL 2026
Batters: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Danish MalewarWicketkeepers: Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de KockAll-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa, Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Will Jacks, Atharva AnkolekarSpinners: Mayank Markande, AM Ghazanfar, Raghu SharmaFast bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Mohammad Izhar
Chennai Super Kings Full Squad for IPL 2026
Batters: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Matthew ShortWicketkeepers: MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, Urvil Patel, Kartik SharmaAll-rounders: Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Prashant Veer, Aman Khan, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shreyas GopalSpinners: Noor Ahmad, Rahul ChaharFast bowlers: Khaleel Ahmed, Nathan Ellis, Matt Henry, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh, Anshul Kamboj
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Full Squad for IPL 2026
Batters: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Devdutt PadikkalWicketkeepers: Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jordan CoxAll-rounders: Venkatesh Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil SinghSpinners: Suyash SharmaFast bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar, Jacob Duffy, Nuwan Thushara, Abhinandan Singh
Kolkata Knight Riders Full Squad for IPL 2026
Batters: Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh, Rovman PowellWicketkeepers: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Tejasvi DahiyaAll-rounders: Cameron Green, Sunil Narine, Rachin Ravindra, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul RoySpinners: Varun Chakravarthy, Prashant SolankiFast bowlers: Matheesha Pathirana, Mustafizur Rahman, Umran Malik, Harshit Rana, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Deep
Sunrisers Hyderabad Full Squad for IPL 2026
Batters: Travis Head, Aniket Verma, R SmaranWicketkeepers: Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan KishanAll-rounders: Liam Livingstone, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins, Brydon Carse, Harshal PatelSpinners: Zeeshan Ansari, Amit KumarFast bowlers: Jaydev Unadkat, Shivam Mavi, Eshan Malinga
Delhi Capitals Full Squad for IPL 2026
Batters: Prithvi Shaw, Karun Nair, Nitish Rana, David Miller, Pathum NissankaWicketkeepers: KL Rahul, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, Ben DuckettAll-rounders: Axar Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Vipraj Nigam, Auqib NabiSpinners: Kuldeep YadavFast bowlers: Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Dushmantha ChameeraInputs from agencies