IPL 2026 opening week venues guide: Match 1 to Match 20 by stadium, city and time
This IPL 2026 opening week venues guide is a stadium-by-stadium map of the first 20 confirmed matches from Sat Mar 28 to Sun Apr 12. The league stage then moves on from April 13 to May 24, 2026, across 12 venues in India, according to the schedule announcement.
For fans planning around travel, this is best read as a venue guide first and a fixture list second. The early schedule shows which grounds are being used most often, where the double-headers fall, and how the opening fortnight is spread across cities.
Opening fortnight schedule: Match 1 to Match 20
| Match | 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 |
What the opening fortnight means for fans
The early schedule is heavily weighted toward repeat venues. Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur and Eden Gardens, Kolkata host three matches each, while M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Wankhede Stadium, IS Bindra Stadium, Ekana Cricket Stadium, M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, and Arun Jaitley Stadium each host two.
The clearest pattern for mobile planning is the run of double-header days on Sat Apr 4, Sun Apr 5, Sat Apr 11, and Sun Apr 12. Each of those dates features a 3:30 PM IST match followed by a 7:30 PM IST match.
Quick scan: most-used venues in the opening fortnight
| Venue | Number of matches | Match numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Sawai Mansingh Stadium | 3 | 3, 13, 16 |
| Eden Gardens | 3 | 6, 12, 15 |
| M. Chinnaswamy Stadium | 2 | 1, 11 |
| Wankhede Stadium | 2 | 2, 20 |
| IS Bindra Stadium | 2 | 4, 17 |
| Ekana Cricket Stadium | 2 | 5, 19 |
| M. A. Chidambaram Stadium | 2 | 7, 18 |
| Arun Jaitley Stadium | 2 | 8, 14 |
Venue-by-venue opening fortnight map
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Hosts Match 1 on Sat Mar 28 at 7:30 PM IST and Match 11 on Sun Apr 5 at 7:30 PM IST.
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Hosts Match 2 on Sun Mar 29 at 7:30 PM IST and Match 20 on Sun Apr 12 at 7:30 PM IST.
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Hosts Match 3 on Mon Mar 30 at 7:30 PM IST, Match 13 on Tue Apr 7 at 7:30 PM IST, and Match 16 on Fri Apr 10 at 7:30 PM IST.
IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
Hosts Match 4 on Tue Mar 31 at 7:30 PM IST and Match 17 on Sat Apr 11 at 3:30 PM IST.
Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Hosts Match 5 on Wed Apr 1 at 7:30 PM IST and Match 19 on Sun Apr 12 at 3:30 PM IST.
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Hosts Match 6 on Thu Apr 2 at 7:30 PM IST, Match 12 on Mon Apr 6 at 7:30 PM IST, and Match 15 on Thu Apr 9 at 7:30 PM IST.
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Hosts Match 7 on Fri Apr 3 at 7:30 PM IST and Match 18 on Sat Apr 11 at 7:30 PM IST.
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Hosts Match 8 on Sat Apr 4 at 3:30 PM IST and Match 14 on Wed Apr 8 at 7:30 PM IST.
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Hosts Match 9 on Sat Apr 4 at 7:30 PM IST.
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Hosts Match 10 on Sun Apr 5 at 3:30 PM IST.
Opening fortnight travel logic for fans
If you are tracking the first 20 matches by venue, the repeat-host pattern matters more than the team list. Jaipur and Kolkata are the busiest early stops, while Bengaluru, Mumbai, Mohali, Lucknow, Chennai, and Delhi each get two fixtures in the opening stretch.
That makes the first two weeks easy to follow if you are planning around one stadium or one city. The schedule also gives fans four double-header dates to circle: Apr 4, Apr 5, Apr 11, and Apr 12.