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The 2026 edition of the IPL will start with a match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 28.
BCCI cancels IPL 2026 opening ceremony. (Picture Credit: PTI)
The 2026 edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) will kick off with a match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday (March 28), but unlike previous editions of the world’s richest franchise cricket league, there will be no opening ceremony this year. According to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia, the board has decided to cancel the opening ceremony this year as a mark of respect for 11 people who lost their lives during RCB’s IPL title win celebration at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4.
However, the board and IPL Governing Council are planning a big closing ceremony for the final, which in all likelihood will be played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
“Due to last year’s tragic incident on June 4, there will be no formal function on the day of the start of IPL-2026 (in Bengaluru). The BCCI is not organising any cultural or entertainment show at the start of IPL-19 as a mark of respect to the departed souls due to that tragedy on June 4, 2025,” Saikia was quoted as saying by Times of India.
“However, the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council are planning a grand entertainment function at the closing of the IPL, on the day of the final (May 31),” he added.
In 2025, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, who is also the co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, performed in the opening ceremony which was held at Eden Gardens in Kolkata ahead of the match between KKR and RCB on March 22.
RCB to play 5 home matches in Chinnaswamy
Defending champions RCB will play five of their seven home matches of IPL 2025 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The iconic stadium in Bengaluru was barred from hosting cricket matches after 11 people lost their lives last year, but ahead of the start of this year’s IPL, the Karnataka government granted permission to host matches at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
In the previous seasons of IPL, RCB used to play all seven home matches in Bengaluru, but in 2026, their two matches will be played at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur.
March 26, 2026, 17:30 IST
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