IPL 2026 opening week power rankings: the first fixture edge starts at zero
The IPL 2026 opening week power rankings begin with one simple fact: all ten teams are on 0 points, and nobody is ahead of the table yet. This ranking uses only the confirmed March 28 to April 12, 2026 fixture block, so the order is based on who drew the softest or harshest early run from the schedule alone.
Confirmed opening-week fixtures, March 28 to April 12, 2026
| Match | Date | Time (IST) | Teams | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Team ranking table
| Rank | Team | Opening-week fixtures | Home/away split | Why this rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Punjab Kings | GT, CSK, KKR, SRH | 2 home, 2 away | PBKS get the cleanest early shape: away to GT, home to CSK, away to KKR, then home to SRH. That home-away-home rhythm keeps the travel load under control. |
| 2 | Mumbai Indians | KKR, DC, RR, RCB | 2 home, 2 away | MI start at Wankhede against KKR, then go to Delhi and Jaipur before finishing back home versus RCB. The middle two away games are the only real squeeze in the block. |
| 3 | Gujarat Titans | PBKS, RR, DC, LSG | 2 home, 2 away | GT alternate venues almost perfectly: away, home, away, home. That pattern avoids any long road spell and gives them a tidy opening-week layout. |
| 4 | Rajasthan Royals | CSK, GT, MI, RCB | 3 home, 1 away | RR play three of their four listed games at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, with only the opener away at CSK. Even with strong opposition, the venue count is a major cushion. |
| 5 | Delhi Capitals | LSG, MI, GT, CSK | 2 home, 2 away | DC begin away to LSG, then get MI and GT at home before ending away at CSK. The difficulty ramps up late, but the home pair in the middle softens the run. |
| 6 | Chennai Super Kings | RR, PBKS, RCB, DC | 2 home, 2 away | CSK open away in Jaipur, then host PBKS and RCB before a final trip to Delhi. The toughest fixtures land after the first match, not all at once. |
| 7 | Kolkata Knight Riders | MI, SRH, PBKS, LSG | 2 home, 2 away | KKR begin with MI at Eden Gardens, then face SRH and PBKS in the next two listed games before LSG arrives. The schedule stays busy, but it never turns into a long away grind. |
| 8 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | SRH, CSK, RR, MI | 2 home, 2 away | RCB get a home start against SRH and another home date versus CSK, but the back half turns sharp with trips to RR and MI. It is a split draw that gets tougher as it goes. |
| 9 | Lucknow Super Giants | DC, SRH, KKR, GT | 2 home, 2 away | LSG’s list is stacked with difficult names from top to bottom, even with a balanced split. The stretch against DC, SRH, KKR and GT gives them little breathing room. |
| 10 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | RCB, KKR, LSG, PBKS | 1 home, 3 away | SRH start with two away games, get only one home match in the listed stretch, and then travel again to PBKS. That road-heavy opening makes them the hardest-hit team on this fixture block. |
Softest and toughest early runs
The top three softest schedules in this opening block belong to Punjab Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Gujarat Titans. PBKS have the best venue rhythm, MI get an early home start, and GT avoid any long travel chain with their alternating home-away pattern.
The bottom three toughest schedules are Lucknow Super Giants, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Sunrisers Hyderabad. LSG face a heavy opponent list throughout, RCB’s run turns from home-friendly to road-heavy, and SRH carry the worst home-away balance with three away games in four listed fixtures.
Quick read
This is a schedule-first ranking, not a results table. IPL 2026 standings begin fresh with every team on 0 points, so the first edge comes from who drew the smoother opening-week path and who landed the roughest one.