IPL 2026 fantasy tips opening week: the first 20 fixtures, opening weekend, and double-header days
The best way to approach IPL 2026 fantasy tips opening week is to read the schedule first, not the headlines. The opening block starts with the March 28-29 weekend, then moves into the double-header days on April 4, April 5, and April 11, giving fantasy players a two-week run of venue and timing checks before making bigger lineup decisions.
That matters because the first 20 fixtures are confirmed through April 12, 2026, and the early edge comes from spotting repeated night-game slots and same-day afternoon-to-evening shifts. This is a schedule-led guide only, built around confirmed dates, times, and venues.
Confirmed opening fixtures for fantasy planning
| Match No. | Date | Time (IST) | Fixture | Venue | Fantasy note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 28 | 7:30 PM | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | Opening night in Bengaluru; first confirmed night-game read of the season. |
| 2 | March 29 | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | Second straight night game; useful for early back-to-back venue comparison. |
| 3 | March 30 | 7:30 PM | Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur | First Jaipur night slot in the opening block. |
| 4 | March 31 | 7:30 PM | Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans | IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali | Another confirmed evening match; adds Mohali to the early night-game set. |
| 5 | April 1 | 7:30 PM | Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals | Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow | Night fixture in Lucknow; part of the early repeated evening pattern. |
| 6 | April 2 | 7:30 PM | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | Kolkata night game; another venue to track in the first week. |
| 7 | April 3 | 7:30 PM | Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | Chennai night match closes the first run of single fixtures. |
| 8 | April 4 | 3:30 PM | Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | First opening-week double-header; afternoon start gives a new timing reference. |
| 9 | April 4 | 7:30 PM | Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | Same-day night match after an afternoon game; useful for venue-and-slot comparison. |
| 10 | April 5 | 3:30 PM | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Lucknow Super Giants | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad | Afternoon fixture starts another double-header day. |
| 11 | April 5 | 7:30 PM | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | Night game on the same day as a day match; strong timing contrast. |
| 12 | April 6 | 7:30 PM | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | Another Kolkata night fixture in the opening stretch. |
| 13 | April 7 | 7:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | Second Wankhede appearance in the early block; another night-game read. |
| 14 | April 8 | 7:30 PM | Gujarat Titans vs Punjab Kings | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | Evening slot in Ahmedabad keeps the early venue sequence moving. |
| 15 | April 9 | 7:30 PM | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad | Night match in Hyderabad before the next cluster of fixtures. |
| 16 | April 10 | 7:30 PM | Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur | Jaipur returns in a night slot; useful for repeating venue comparison. |
| 17 | April 11 | 3:30 PM | Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali | Second Saturday double-header begins with an afternoon match in Mohali. |
| 18 | April 11 | 7:30 PM | Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | Evening match completes the day-to-night split on April 11. |
| 19 | April 12 | 3:30 PM | Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Titans | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | Afternoon start adds another same-day timing reference in Mumbai. |
| 20 | April 12 | 7:30 PM | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | Final match in the opening 20; closes the two-week early block with a night game. |
Key opening-week fantasy decision days
| Date | Matches | Why it matters for fantasy |
|---|---|---|
| March 28-29 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad; Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders | The opening weekend gives two straight night games in Bengaluru and Mumbai, so it is the first clean read on evening starts before the schedule changes shape. |
| April 4 | Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians; Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals | The first double-header creates an afternoon-to-night comparison across Delhi and Ahmedabad on the same day. |
| April 5 | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Lucknow Super Giants; Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings | Another double-header gives a second same-day timing split, with Hyderabad in the afternoon and Bengaluru at night. |
| April 11 | Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad; Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals | The second Saturday double-header adds one more afternoon-to-night reset across Mohali and Chennai. |
Why the opening schedule matters for fantasy
The first two weeks are about pattern reading. You get repeated night-game slots at Bengaluru, Mumbai, Jaipur, Mohali, Lucknow, Kolkata, and Chennai, then three separate double-header days that split afternoon and evening conditions.
That makes the opening block useful even before any deeper team reading. If you are building around the fixture list, the confirmed sequence gives you a clean way to compare 7:30 PM IST matches against 3:30 PM IST starts and keep your early fantasy decisions tied to venue and timing only.
How to use the first 20 fixtures
Start with the opening weekend, because March 28-29 is the first back-to-back night-game test. Bengaluru and Mumbai arrive immediately, so you get an early read on two high-profile evening slots without needing to chase anything beyond the schedule.
Then move to the double-header days on April 4, April 5, and April 11. Those dates give you the clearest afternoon-to-night comparisons in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mohali, and Chennai, and the full opening 20 runs through April 12.