"Always exciting to see IPL begin": Harbhajan Singh ahead of 2026 edition

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) enter the new season as defending champions, having defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in the 2025 edition's summit clash held in Ahmedabad.

Speaking to ANI, Harbhajan said, "It's always exciting to see the IPL begin. I hope that this year, too, we'll get to witness the same enthusiasm, passion, and fun that the IPL brings. May a new team win. We wish for this every time, but since some of the older teams are very strong, we'll get to see some great matches."

On March 11, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule for the first phase of the 2026 IPL edition, which is to be played from March 28 to April 12.

The full schedule of the IPL 2026 edition will be announced once the poll dates of three states, which are scheduled to undergo State Assembly elections during this period, are announced.

Defending champions RCB will play the opening fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

During this period, the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.

The first double-header of the season will take place on April 4, 2026, when Delhi Capitals face Mumbai Indians in the afternoon match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, followed by Gujarat Titans taking on Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur.

Note: The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka. The committee will conduct a meeting and inspection of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 13, 2026, during which a full-scale mock demonstration of match-day arrangements will be carried out to assess the stadium's preparedness for hosting IPL matches. (ANI)