The IPL 2026 season is set to get underway on March 26 and conclude on May 31, with the dates emerging as the key takeaway from a meeting between franchise representatives and IPL authorities in Abu Dhabi on Monday (December 15) evening, Cricbuzz reported.
The dates were formally communicated by IPL CEO Hemang Amin during a briefing held ahead of the mini-auction, scheduled for Tuesday (December 16).
Traditionally, the first game takes place in the home city of the defending champions, which would put Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium in line to stage the tournament opener featuring RCB. However, the availability of the venue remains uncertain.
Notably, the Chinnaswamy stadium recently received Karnataka government's clearance to host competitive matches for the first time after the stampede tragedy following RCB’s maiden IPL title win earlier this year.
The approval came shortly after former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad took over as president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
Despite the clearance, the doubt persists as the venue will have to meet stringent safety and security requirements. It is pertinent to mention here that 11 people had lost their lives in a horrific stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4 while celebrating RCB’s historic IPL title triumph.
Subsequently, the state government consistently denied permission for competitive cricket matches at the venue, forcing the BCCI to move Women’s World Cup fixtures away from Bengaluru.
Asked about the possibility of IPL 2026 kicking off at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, a top BCCI official said, “We hope so,” before adding, "The State's Deputy Chief Minister (DK Shivakumar) himself has said so."
Shivakumar was recently quoted as saying in the media, "We have decided about the IPL matches. We are positive. We have asked our Home Minister G Parameshwara to have a meeting with them (KSCA authorities). Parameshwara will discuss with the Cricket Association. The Home Minister will deal with it."
Meanwhile, Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, New Zealand fast bowler Ben Sears and South Africa’s Ethan Bosch were among 19 late additions to the player list for the IPL 2026 auction, the organisers confirmed on Monday.
The expanded list also includes Mani Shankar Mura Singh (TCA), Virandeep Singh (Malaysia), Chama Milind (HYCA), KL Shrijith (KSCA), Eathan Bosch (South Africa), Chris Green (Australia), Swastik Chikara (UPCA), Rahul Raj Namala (CAU), Virat Singh (JSCA), Tripuresh Singh (MPCA), Kyle Verreynne (South Africa), Blessing Muzarabani (Zimbabwe), Ben Sears (New Zealand), Rajesh Mohanty (OCA), Swastik Samal (OCA), Saransh Jain (MPCA), Sooraj Sangaraju (ACA) and Tanmay Agarwal (HYCA).
"Never before have so many new names been added," said a franchise official, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
The additions take the total number of players in the auction pool to 369. A total of 77 slots are available across the 10 franchises, including 31 for overseas players.
From an initial longlist of 1,390 players, 350 were shortlisted, comprising 240 Indians and 110 overseas players. 40 players have entered the auction at the highest base price of INR 2 crore.
Australia all-rounder Cameron Green is expected to trigger a bidding war, with England’s Liam Livingstone and Jamie Smith, New Zealand pacer Matt Henry, wicketkeeper Tim Seifert, South Africa batter David Miller and Sri Lanka fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana also likely to draw interest from multiple franchises.
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
