IPL 2026 opening venues guide: first 20 confirmed fixtures by stadium, city, date and IST time
The IPL 2026 opening venues guide is a stadium-first map of the first 20 confirmed fixtures, so readers can see where the season opens and how the early run moves across India. The confirmed block runs from Sat Mar 28 to Sun Apr 12, before the remaining 50 league-stage matches from April 13 to May 24, 2026 are played across 12 venues in India.
Opening block by city
Jaipur and Kolkata are the busiest early stops, with three matches each in the opening block. Bengaluru, Mumbai, Mohali, Lucknow, Chennai and Delhi all host two games, while Ahmedabad and Hyderabad each appear once.
Opening block venue summary
| Stadium | City | Matches Hosted | First Appearance | Last Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sawai Mansingh Stadium | Jaipur | 3 | Mon Mar 30 | Fri Apr 10 |
| Eden Gardens | Kolkata | 3 | Thu Apr 2 | Thu Apr 9 |
| M. Chinnaswamy Stadium | Bengaluru | 2 | Sat Mar 28 | Sun Apr 5 |
| Wankhede Stadium | Mumbai | 2 | Sun Mar 29 | Sun Apr 12 |
| IS Bindra Stadium | Mohali | 2 | Tue Mar 31 | Sat Apr 11 |
| Ekana Cricket Stadium | Lucknow | 2 | Wed Apr 1 | Sun Apr 12 |
| M. A. Chidambaram Stadium | Chennai | 2 | Fri Apr 3 | Sat Apr 11 |
| Arun Jaitley Stadium | Delhi | 2 | Sat Apr 4 | Wed Apr 8 |
| Narendra Modi Stadium | Ahmedabad | 1 | Sat Apr 4 | Sat Apr 4 |
| Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium | Hyderabad | 1 | Sun Apr 5 | Sun Apr 5 |
| Match No. | Date | Time IST | Teams | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sat Mar 28 | 7:30 PM IST | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium | Bengaluru |
| 2 | Sun Mar 29 | 7:30 PM IST | Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Wankhede Stadium | Mumbai |
| 3 | Mon Mar 30 | 7:30 PM IST | Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings | Sawai Mansingh Stadium | Jaipur |
| 4 | Tue Mar 31 | 7:30 PM IST | Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans | IS Bindra Stadium | Mohali |
| 5 | Wed Apr 1 | 7:30 PM IST | Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals | Ekana Cricket Stadium | Lucknow |
| 6 | Thu Apr 2 | 7:30 PM IST | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Eden Gardens | Kolkata |
| 7 | Fri Apr 3 | 7:30 PM IST | Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium | Chennai |
| 8 | Sat Apr 4 | 3:30 PM IST | Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians | Arun Jaitley Stadium | Delhi |
| 9 | Sat Apr 4 | 7:30 PM IST | Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals | Narendra Modi Stadium | Ahmedabad |
| 10 | Sun Apr 5 | 3:30 PM IST | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Lucknow Super Giants | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium | Hyderabad |
| 11 | Sun Apr 5 | 7:30 PM IST | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium | Bengaluru |
| 12 | Mon Apr 6 | 7:30 PM IST | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings | Eden Gardens | Kolkata |
| 13 | Tue Apr 7 | 7:30 PM IST | Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians | Sawai Mansingh Stadium | Jaipur |
| 14 | Wed Apr 8 | 7:30 PM IST | Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Titans | Arun Jaitley Stadium | Delhi |
| 15 | Thu Apr 9 | 7:30 PM IST | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants | Eden Gardens | Kolkata |
| 16 | Fri Apr 10 | 7:30 PM IST | Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Sawai Mansingh Stadium | Jaipur |
| 17 | Sat Apr 11 | 3:30 PM IST | Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | IS Bindra Stadium | Mohali |
| 18 | Sat Apr 11 | 7:30 PM IST | Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium | Chennai |
| 19 | Sun Apr 12 | 3:30 PM IST | Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans | Ekana Cricket Stadium | Lucknow |
| 20 | Sun Apr 12 | 7:30 PM IST | Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Wankhede Stadium | Mumbai |
What the opening block looks like by city
The early run is spread across 10 venues, but the load is concentrated in a few repeat hosts. Jaipur and Kolkata lead the way with three matches each, while Bengaluru, Mumbai, Mohali, Lucknow, Chennai and Delhi all get two.
The opening finishes with back-to-back double-header days on Sat Apr 11 and Sun Apr 12, before the league stage moves into the next stretch from April 13. For quick reference, the season opens at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, and the busiest early repeat venues are Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur and Eden Gardens, Kolkata.