IPL 2026 opening venues guide: first 20 fixtures across 10 cities
The IPL 2026 opening venues guide starts with a clear venue pattern: the first 20 confirmed fixtures are spread across 10 cities, and the busiest early stops are Jaipur, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Mohali, Lucknow and Chennai. That makes the opening block easy to track for readers following where the earliest home dates land.
The league stage comprises 50 matches from April 13 to May 24, 2026, across 12 venues in India. The confirmed opening run begins earlier, with fixtures mapped across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Jaipur, Mohali, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
Full schedule: first 20 confirmed fixtures
| Match No. | Date | Time (IST) | Teams | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sat Mar 28 | 7:30 PM | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium | Bengaluru |
| 2 | Sun Mar 29 | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Wankhede Stadium | Mumbai |
| 3 | Mon Mar 30 | 7:30 PM | Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings | Sawai Mansingh Stadium | Jaipur |
| 4 | Tue Mar 31 | 7:30 PM | Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans | IS Bindra Stadium | Mohali |
| 5 | Wed Apr 1 | 7:30 PM | Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals | Ekana Cricket Stadium | Lucknow |
| 6 | Thu Apr 2 | 7:30 PM | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Eden Gardens | Kolkata |
| 7 | Fri Apr 3 | 7:30 PM | Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium | Chennai |
| 8 | Sat Apr 4 | 3:30 PM | Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians | Arun Jaitley Stadium | Delhi |
| 9 | Sat Apr 4 | 7:30 PM | Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals | Narendra Modi Stadium | Ahmedabad |
| 10 | Sun Apr 5 | 3:30 PM | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Lucknow Super Giants | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium | Hyderabad |
| 11 | Sun Apr 5 | 7:30 PM | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium | Bengaluru |
| 12 | Mon Apr 6 | 7:30 PM | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings | Eden Gardens | Kolkata |
| 13 | Tue Apr 7 | 7:30 PM | Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians | Sawai Mansingh Stadium | Jaipur |
| 14 | Wed Apr 8 | 7:30 PM | Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Titans | Arun Jaitley Stadium | Delhi |
| 15 | Thu Apr 9 | 7:30 PM | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants | Eden Gardens | Kolkata |
| 16 | Fri Apr 10 | 7:30 PM | Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Sawai Mansingh Stadium | Jaipur |
| 17 | Sat Apr 11 | 3:30 PM | Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | IS Bindra Stadium | Mohali |
| 18 | Sat Apr 11 | 7:30 PM | Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium | Chennai |
| 19 | Sun Apr 12 | 3:30 PM | Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans | Ekana Cricket Stadium | Lucknow |
| 20 | Sun Apr 12 | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Wankhede Stadium | Mumbai |
Opening venues snapshot
| Venue | City | Matches in first 20 fixtures | Fixture numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| M. Chinnaswamy Stadium | Bengaluru | 2 | 1, 11 |
| Wankhede Stadium | Mumbai | 2 | 2, 20 |
| Sawai Mansingh Stadium | Jaipur | 3 | 3, 13, 16 |
| IS Bindra Stadium | Mohali | 2 | 4, 17 |
| Ekana Cricket Stadium | Lucknow | 2 | 5, 19 |
| Eden Gardens | Kolkata | 3 | 6, 12, 15 |
| M. A. Chidambaram Stadium | Chennai | 2 | 7, 18 |
| Arun Jaitley Stadium | Delhi | 2 | 8, 14 |
| Narendra Modi Stadium | Ahmedabad | 1 | 9 |
| Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium | Hyderabad | 1 | 10 |
Venue-first takeaways
- Jaipur and Kolkata are the busiest opening venues, with three matches each in the first 20 fixtures.
- Bengaluru and Mumbai bookend the block, with Match 1 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and Match 20 at Wankhede Stadium.
- The first double-header lands on April 4, moving from Delhi to Ahmedabad.
- Another double-header follows on April 5, with Hyderabad before Bengaluru.
- A second double-header comes on April 11, split between Mohali and Chennai.
How the opening venues are spread
The opening run moves cleanly across the map: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Jaipur, Mohali, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad all appear in the first 20 fixtures. That gives the early schedule a simple city-by-city flow rather than a long stretch at one venue.
The repeat home dates are concentrated in a few stadiums, especially Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Eden Gardens, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Wankhede Stadium, Arun Jaitley Stadium, IS Bindra Stadium, Ekana Cricket Stadium and M. A. Chidambaram Stadium. The confirmed opening block ends with Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sun Apr 12, 7:30 PM IST at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.