The schedule for Indian Premier League 2026 has been revealed and the 19th season of the league will be played from March 28, 2026 to May, 2026. The season will kick off with Royal Challengers Bengaluru locking horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
10 teams will once again fight for the coveted trophy this season and the league will be played all over India. The first leg of the fixtures is out and few big matches are set to be played on the initial days of the league.
One among the star studded fixtures will be the Mumbai Indians versus Kolkata Knight Riders encounter which is scheduled to be played on March 29 in Mumbai and the Rajasthan Royals would play the Chennai Super Kings on March 30 in Guwahati.
The opening match of every IPL is a fixture that every fan eagerly waits for every year and has featured many star teams down the years. As the IPL begins with Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad, fans would be more interested in seeing how the inaugural match of the season unfolds.
IPL Opening Matches Over The Years
| Teams | Venue | Date | Year | Result |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | April 18 | 2008 | KKR won by 140 runs |
| Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians | Newlands, Cape Town | April 18 | 2009 | MI won by 19 runs |
| Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders | DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai | March 12 | 2010 | KKR won by 11 runs |
| Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | April 8 | 2011 | CSK won by 2 runs |
| Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | April 4 | 2012 | MI won by 8 wickets |
| Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | April 3 | 2013 | KKR won by 6 wickets |
| Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi | April 16 | 2014 | KKR won by 41 runs |
| Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | April 8 | 2015 | KKR won by 7 wickets |
| Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiants | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | April 9 | 2016 | RPS won by 9 wickets |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad | April 5 | 2017 | SRH won by 35 runs |
| Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | April 7 | 2018 | CSK won by 1 wicket |
| Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | March 23 | 2019 | CSK won by 7 wickets |
| Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings | Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi | September 19 | 2020 | CSK won by 5 wickets |
| Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | April 9 | 2021 | RCB won by 2 wickets |
| Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | March 26 | 2022 | KKR won by 6 wickets |
| Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | March 31 | 2023 | GT won by 5 wickets |
| Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | March 22 | 2024 | CSK won by 6 wickets |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | March 28 | 2026 | - |
With a strong start to the 19th season of IPL from Bengaluru, fans are very eager to see how IPL 2026 kicks off and which team will emerge victorious.