IPL 2026 to be held between March 26 and May 31
The IPL will kick off roughly three weeks after the T20 World Cup, and clash with the PSL
ESPNcricinfo staff
15-Dec-2025
The 2025 IPL final was held in Ahmedabad, where RCB won the title for the first time • Getty Images
IPL 2026 will be held between March 26 and May 31, occupying the same window it has in recent years.
While the BCCI hasn't announced the full fixtures yet, the 19th edition of the IPL will kick off roughly three weeks after the conclusion of the men's T20 World Cup - scheduled from February 7 to March 8 in India and Sri Lanka - and run for just over two months.
It also means that for the second year running, the IPL will clash with the PSL, which is scheduled to be held between March 26 and May 3.
Related
Nortje buzzing with LSG deal and renewed rhythm by his side
PSL 2026 to be played from March 26 to May 3 in clash with IPL
IPL auction 2026 - Big payday for Green, Veer, Kartik Sharma
IPL 2026 auction: Five uncapped Indian players to watch out for
Green available to bowl in IPL, manager 'stuff-up' registered him as batter
The IPL teams, who announced their list of retained and released players in mid-November, are currently getting into the IPL auction on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, where 369 players have been shortlisted to go under the hammer.
A total of 77 slots are available, including 31 for overseas players. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have the most vacancies, 13, followed by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) with ten. After trades and retentions, KKR also have the biggest purse available: INR 64.30 crore (US$7.1 million approx.). Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are next with INR 43.40 crore (US$4.8 million approx.).
The IPL 2025 final was won on June 3 by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who made it their first IPL title win with a six-run win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Ahmedabad.