The countdown to the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has officially begun, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informing all franchise owners of the official window for the IPL 2026 season.
IPL 2026, the high-octane T20 tournament is set to begin on Thursday, March 26 and run until Sunday, May 31.
According to a Cricbuzz report, the BCCI informed all franchise owners about the window for the IPL 2026 season during the meeting between the IPL franchises on Monday, December 15, evening in Abu Dhabi. The dates for IPL Season 19 were disclosed by Hemang Amin, the league’s CEO, during a briefing held ahead of Tuesday’s mini auction.
This early communication from the BCCI aims to provide all ten franchises with a clear operational window, enabling them to strategise and plan well in advance for the 19th edition of the cash-rich league.
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Will Chinnaswamy Stadium In Bengaluru Host IPL 2026 Opener?
While the IPL 2026 will start on Thursday, March 26, it will be interesting to see whether Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will host the season opener or not. It was a point of interest among franchise representatives present at the pre-auction meeting held at the W Hotel in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Traditionally, the opening match is hosted in the defending champions’ city, but the availability of the Chinnaswamy Stadium is still unclear.
Although the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has been granted conditional approval by the state government to stage IPL matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the clearance hinges on fulfilling prescribed safety and security norms.
Some Late Additions To IPL 2026 Auction List
Bengal opening batter Abhimanyu Easwaran along with New Zealand pacer Ben Sears and South Africa’s Ethan Bosch, are among the late additions made to the auction list for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. They are among 19 late additions to the final list that will be shared with IPL franchises ahead of Tuesday’s auction at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Mani Shankar Mura Singh (TCA), Virandeep Singh (Malaysia), Chama Milind (HYCA), KL Shrijith (KSCA), Ethan Bosch (South Africa), Chris Green (Australia), Swastik Chikara (UPCA), Rahul Raj Namala (CAU), Virat Singh (JSCA), Tripuresh Singh (MPCA), Kyle Verreynne (South Africa), Blessing Muzarabani (Zimbabwe), Ben Sears (New Zealand), Rajesh Mohanty (OCA), Swastik Samal (OCA), Saransh Jain (MPCA), Sooraj Sangaraju (ACA) and Tanmay Agarwal (HYCA) are the additional names added to the register.
The total number of players in the auction register has now gone up to 369 and a maximum of 77 players can be bought at the IPL 2026 mini-auction.
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