Two-Day Delay for IPL Start, Uncertainty Over Venues

According to the earlier announcement, the IPL was scheduled to begin on March 26. However, a slight change has been made to the schedule at the last moment, with the tournament now set to start on March 28. The final has been fixed for May 31. While a two-day delay may not seem significant on the calendar, it could still impact the preparations of franchises, organisers, and supporters.

The delay in announcing the full schedule is due to upcoming state assembly elections. The election dates in Assam, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu have not yet been declared. As a result, organisers are taking additional time to finalise security and logistical plans. Kolkata and Chennai, two of the tournament’s traditional venues, are the home grounds of Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings respectively. Meanwhile, Guwahati serves as the second home venue for Rajasthan Royals. Coordinating match arrangements with the election schedule has become a major challenge.

Since the IPL began in 2008, whenever national or state elections have taken place, the schedule has generally been announced in two phases. The IPL Governing Council will decide whether to follow the same approach this year or wait for the Election Commission to announce the poll dates before releasing the full schedule at once.

There is also discussion regarding the venue for the opening match. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play the first match of the tournament. However, the tragic stampede during their title celebration at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium last June, which claimed the lives of 11 fans, remains fresh in public memory. Following that incident, RCB has been in talks with the Karnataka State Cricket Association about whether their seven home matches will be held at the same venue or shifted to an alternative city.

Navi Mumbai, Raipur, and Pune are reportedly being considered as alternative venues. Overall, although the countdown to IPL 2026 has begun, uncertainty surrounding the schedule and venues still remains. Before the excitement unfolds on the field, careful calculations continue off it.