New Delhi [India], March 12 (ANI): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice-President and Congress MP Rajeev Shukla on Thursday confirmed that the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season will take place as scheduled, adding that the remaining match fixtures will be announced after the election dates are declared by the Election Commission of India.

Speaking to ANI, Shukla clarified that the BCCI has already released the schedule for the initial phase of the tournament and will decide on the remaining fixtures once the poll schedule is announced for the states heading to elections.

'IPL will be held as per schedule. We have released the schedule for 20 matches. The schedule for remaining matches will be released after the Election Commission announces the dates for states going to the election,' Shukla said.

The West Asia Conlfict has put stress on player travel. The West Indian team's departure post the T20 World Cup in India was delayed due to cancellation of flights to the region.

Earlier, the BCCI announced the schedule for the first phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, to be played from March 28 to April 12, 2026, according to a BCCI release.

As three states are scheduled to undergo State Assembly elections during this period, the full schedule of the tournament will be announced once the poll dates are announced.

The 19th edition of the biggest T20 league on the globe will commence when defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) host Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.During this period, the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.

Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.

The first double-header of the season will take place on April 4, 2026, when Delhi Capitals face Mumbai Indians in the afternoon match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, followed by Gujarat Titans taking on Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Rajasthan Royals will begin their home campaign in Guwahati, where they will host Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Punjab Kings (PBKS), meanwhile, will play their early home fixtures at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh.

During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur.

Note: The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka. The committee will conduct a meeting and inspection of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 13, 2026, during which a full-scale mock demonstration of match-day arrangements will be carried out to assess the stadium's preparedness for hosting IPL matches. (ANI)