IPL 2026 Begins Today: Opening Match at 7:45 PM (Nepali Time)

The Indian Premier League 2026 season kicks off today with the opening match between defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The match will begin at 7:45 PM (Nepali time) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Rajat Patidar will lead Bengaluru, while Ishan Kishan will serve as stand-in captain for Hyderabad. Regular captain Pat Cummins is unavailable for the initial matches as he continues recovering from a back injury.

In the first phase of the tournament, 20 matches will be played from March 28 to April 11 across 10 venues. The second phase will run from April 13 to May 24, featuring 50 matches across 12 cities, including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Dharamshala, Raipur, and New Chandigarh.

The schedule also includes eight double-header days, with matches starting at 3:45 PM and 7:45 PM (Nepali time). Bengaluru will play some of its home matches in Raipur, while Punjab Kings will use Dharamshala and New Chandigarh as their home venues. A special fixture between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings is scheduled for May 11 in Dharamshala, a match that was previously abandoned last season.

In the previous edition, Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their first IPL title by defeating Punjab Kings in the final.