The Indian Premier League or IPL 2026 season is being highly awaited by cricket fans in the country. With 84 matches scheduled, rather than the usual 74, this IPL will be the biggest yet as defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, vie to continue their winning streak from 2025

Here’s everything you need to know about IPL 2026, including date, timings, venues, and more.

IPL 2026 schedule

The Indian Premier League will begin on March 28, broadcaster Star Sports has confirmed on Sunday, March 8, 2026. The fixtures are yet to be announced, but RCB will be looking to defend their hard-won crown.

The playoffs for the IPL are scheduled to begin from May 26 2026, with Bengaluru confirmed to host Qualifier 1 and the final on May 31 2026. Other playoff matches, including the Eliminator and Qualifier 2, are likely to be held in Ahmedabad and Raipur, though the official decision is awaited.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to announce the dates for the matches in two phases, keeping in mind the Assembly Elections in West Bengal and Assam. The schedule for the first 15 days will be announced, with the remaining to be released after polling dates are finalised.

IPL opening match

The opening match is expected to be between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings, as per tradition. The final call on the fixtures is awaited.

IPL playing format

The 10 teams of the Indian Premier League will compete in a ‘double round-robin’ format in which they play each other twice, once away and once at home. Matches will be held across 10 major cities, including Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Raipur.

The 2026 season will see 80 league matches and 4 playoff matches.

Teams competing in IPL 2026

The teams competing in this IPL are Chennai Super Kings (led by Ruturaj Gaikwad), Mumbai Indians (Hardik Pandya), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Rajat Patidar), Kolkata Knight Riders (Ajinkya Rahane), Gujarat Titans (Shubman Gill), Rajasthan Royals (Riyan Parag), Lucknow Super Giants (Rishabh Pant), Sunrisers Hyderabad (Pat Cummins), Delhi Capitals (Axar Patel), and Punjab Kings (Shreyas Iyer). 

Last-place Wolverhampton stunned Premier League champion Liverpool with a 2-1 win at Molineux Stadium on Tuesday.

Brazilian midfielder Andre struck a deflected winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time to deliver a blow to Liverpool’s hopes of securing Champions League soccer next season.

It sent Wolves fans wild in a thrilling finish to the match.

“It is Liverpool Football Club. It doesn’t matter the position we are in at the moment, whenever you beat them, you have to enjoy them moments,” said Wolves manager Rob Edwards, who charged down the touchline in celebration after Andre’s strike brought rare joy to a season that looks destined to end in relegation.

A dramatic end to the game saw Mohamed Salah score in the 83rd minute — ending his 10-game league goal drought — to equalise for Liverpool soon after Rodrigo Gomes had put Wolves ahead in the 78th.

As both teams went in search of a winner, Andre’s long-range effort deflected off Joe Gomez and left Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson wrong-footed.

Liverpool’s Alisson Becker looks dejected after Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Andre scores their second goal
| Photo Credit:
Action Images via Reuters

“It feels amazing. It was an amazing game and an amazing night,” said Rodrigo Gomes.

It was Liverpool’s ninth league defeat of the season and could see the defending champion drop to sixth place if Chelsea beats Aston Villa on Wednesday.

The top four are guaranteed to qualify for the Champions League, but the Premier League is likely to earn a fifth bonus place because of English clubs’ performances in Europe this season.

After running away with the title last term, Liverpool is 16 points adrift of first-place Arsenal.

“We are losing far too many football games and dropping points,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot said. “The three times we have lost in the last 22 games have all been in extra time.”

Victory for Wolves made it back-to-back wins in the league for the first time this season. It beat Aston Villa 2-0 on Friday.

While survival is highly unlikely, given it is 11 points adrift of safety, it is enjoying a late season surge that included a recent 2-2 draw with Arsenal.

“What we are doing at the moment is showing fight and spirit and some quality. We are competing with everyone,” Edwards said.

Everton secured a rare win at its new stadium by beating relegation-fighting Burnley 2-0.

Goals from James Tarkowski and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in each half sealed only a fifth league win at Hill Dickinson Stadium since Everton moved into its new home at the start of the season. Victory also boosted its chances of qualifying for Europe, with David Moyes’ team moving to within one point of seventh-place Brentford, which drew 0-0 with Bournemouth.

“Our away form has been incredible but we haven’t got enough points here,” Tarkowski said. “We have let ourselves down in some games here and conceded some rubbish goals and not taken our chances.

“We are in touching distance to the European places. There are nine matches to go so we will stick some wins on the board and see where we end up. We are chasing them rather than looking below.”

Leeds is in danger of being dragged back toward the relegation zone after back-to-back losses.

Habib Diarra’s second-half penalty secured a 1-0 win for Sunderland at Elland Road.

Leeds is six points above the drop zone, but that could be reduced if 18th-place West Ham picks up points at Fulham on Wednesday.

Port Vale, which is in last place in England’s third division, will play Sunderland in the fifth round of the FA Cup after beating Bristol City 1-0 in extra time.

Ben Waine scored the winning goal in the 112th to beat Bristol, which is 10th in the second-tier Championship.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday (February 24, 2026) unveiled the complete schedule for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, featuring all 12 participating teams.

Hosts England will square off against Sri Lanka in the opening fixture on June 12. The 10th edition of the competition will take place from June 12 to July 5 this year, with 12 teams vying for the title in what is the biggest field in the tournament’s history so far, as per the ICC website.

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Bangladesh, Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands were the final four teams to book their spot at the event, progressing via the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in Nepal last month.

The four qualifying sides now join the likes of defending champions New Zealand, hosts and winners of the inaugural edition in 2009, England, 2016 winners, West Indies, current ODI World Cup winners in India, and six-time tournament winners Australia.
Hosts England take on Sri Lanka in the tournament opener on June 12, while Ireland and Scotland begin their campaign against each other in an all-European clash at Old Trafford on June 13.

When England face off against Scotland at Headingley on June 20, it will mark the first time that the two teams meet at an ICC event on English turf.

Ireland and Scotland are placed in Group B, along with England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Meanwhile, Group A features Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh and the Netherlands.

The Dutch side will be making their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup debut and open their campaign against Bangladesh, who remained unbeaten in the qualifying tournament.

“The release of the schedule for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 is an important milestone in the run-up to the global, premier sporting event,” ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta said.

“This event is in continuation of ICC’s sustained investment in women’s Cricket — across expanded participation and high-performance pathways, event and production standards, tournament prize money, widened media distribution and commercial partnerships — towards the goal of commanding higher levels of attention, affiliation and stature with fans worldwide,” he said.

“The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in India served as a force multiplier for the sport – breaking records, capturing imaginations and inspiring communities — and our ambition is to carry the momentum into the event in June-July,” Gupta said.

The final will be played at the hallowed Lord’s Cricket Ground in London on July 5.

ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Groups

Group 1: Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Netherlands

Group 2: West Indies, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland.