IPL 2026 schedule annoucement: Rajasthan Royals (RR) venue dispute in Jaipur was recently resolved through a compromise (4 matches in Jaipur, 3 in Guwahati), but BCCI is still holding back the full Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 schedule due to several other critical logistical hurdles.
Why Delay? Key Reasons Beyond Jaipur
State Assembly Elections
The biggest roadblock is the upcoming Assembly Elections in three major cricketing states: West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Assam. Polling and counting dates require the full deployment of state police forces. Organizing high-security IPL matches in Chennai (CSK), Kolkata (KKR), and Guwahati (RR) during this time is practically impossible.
BCCI is awaiting the official announcement of poll dates from Election Commission to ensure match dates do not clash with voting days.
Stadium “Handover” from T20 World Cup
As we are currently in the midst of ICC Men’s 2026 T20 World Cup (hosted in India and Sri Lanka), five of the primary IPL venues – Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, and Ahmedabad – are occupied. BCCI needs time after the World Cup final (March 8) to “hand over” and prepare these grounds for IPL 2026, which is expected to start on March 26.
Bengaluru’s Safety Compliance
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) recently received a conditional “green light” to play at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, after the tragic stampede during their 2025 title celebrations, BCCI is meticulously reviewing the stadium’s new crowd-management protocols and seating capacity plans before finalizing their home fixtures.
“Two-Phase” Release Plan
To avoid a complete blackout for fans, BCCI is likely to follow the strategy used in previous election years:
They may release an initial schedule for the first 2-3 weeks of the tournament soon.
The remaining fixtures will be announced only after the election dates are set in stone.
Also on ABP Live | Pakistan’s Road To T20 World Cup Semifinal: How Pak Can Qualify After Rain-Forced No Result vs New Zealand
