The official dates for the 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) have now been confirmed. IPL 2026 will begin on Thursday, March 26, with the final scheduled for Sunday, May 31. This important decision was made during a key meeting held in Abu Dhabi on Monday evening, attended by franchises and top IPL officials.
However, whether the tournament will begin at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru remains unclear. This issue was the most discussed topic at the meeting held at the W Hotel in Abu Dhabi just before the auction.
IPL CEO announced the dates
IPL CEO Hemang Amin officially announced the dates for season 19 during a briefing with franchise representatives ahead of the auction on Tuesday. Traditionally, the first match of the IPL is usually played at the home ground of the previous winning team, but this time there is uncertainty regarding the availability of the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
However, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has permission from the state government to host IPL matches, but the approval will depend on meeting the safety standards.
BCCI hopes to get positive signals from the government
When asked about the possibility of the opening match being held at Chinnaswamy, a senior BCCI official said, “We are hopeful that the state’s Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has also given a positive statement in this regard.
The stadium’s confusion stems from a tragic stampede on 4 June, when more than 11 fans were killed and several others injured during RCB’s victory celebrations. Following this incident, the state government refused to allow cricket matches at the venue for a long time. The BCCI even had to move some of the Women’s World Cup matches out of Bengaluru.
IPL auction 2026: Abhimanyu Easwaran among 19 new names added
Meanwhile, the BCCI has also confirmed that Abhimanyu Easwaran has been added to the IPL 2026 auction register, as previously reported by Cricbuzz. Easwaran is one of 19 players whose names were added to the auction list at the last minute. He is ranked number 360 in the final spreadsheet.
Apart from these, other players who have been included in the auction list include both domestic and foreign names.
- Ethan Bosch (South Africa)
- Chris Green (Australia)
- Blessing Muzarabani (Zimbabwe)
- Ben Sears (New Zealand)
- Kyle Verreynne (South Africa)
- Along with Indian players like Chama Milind, KL Shrijit, Tanmay Agarwal, and others.
Unprecedented Number of Late Entries
Players joining late before the IPL Auction is nothing new. But this time the numbers have surprised everyone. A franchise official said that never before have such a large number of names been added just before the auction.
The total number of players on the auction register now stands at 369. A maximum of 77 players can be purchased at the auction, provided all franchises complete their full squad of 25 players, which is a rare occurrence.
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Update on Overseas player Availability
The BCCI has also informed franchises that most foreign players will be available for the majority of IPL 2026. However, some uncertainty remains regarding the Bangladeshi players. It has been reported that they may miss some matches in April due to international commitments.
Apart from this, information has also been shared regarding the partial availability of some players:
- Josh Inglis (Australia) – 25%
- Ashton Agar (Australia) – 65%
- William Sutherland (Australia) – 80%
- Adam Milne (New Zealand) – 95%
