Royal Challengers Bengaluru hosts Sunrisers Hyderabad to open IPL 2026

Key facts

• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the first phase of the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be held from 28 March to 12 April 2026.
• Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the opening match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
• The first phase of the tournament will feature 20 matches across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad.
• Gujarat Titans (GT) appointed former India wicketkeeper-batter Vijay Dahiya as Assistant Coach for the upcoming IPL 2026 season.
• Vijay Dahiya represented India in 19 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and two Tests and previously coached Delhi to the Ranji Trophy title in the 2007-08 season.
• GT, who won the IPL title in their inaugural 2022 campaign, also recently appointed former Australia player Matthew Hayden as Batting Coach.
• The tournament schedule includes four double-headers, with afternoon matches starting at 03:30 PM IST and evening matches at 07:30 PM IST.