BCCI has announced the start and end dates for IPL 2026. The 19th edition of IPL will begin on March 26 and run until Sunday, May 31. On the eve of December 15, IPL authorities met with franchise owners. The IPL auction is set to take place the following day (December 16) in the same city. The pre-auction meeting was held at the W Hotel in Abu Dhabi. One of the major points of interest was whether the tournament will kick off at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
IPL CEO, Hemang Amin, disclosed the dates for the IPL Season 19 during a briefing. Traditionally, the IPL begins with the city of defending champions, however, there availability of Chinnaswamy Stadium in unclear. Karnataka State Cricket Association has received conditional clearance from State Government for using the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, the clearance is subjected to meeting the safety and security requirements.
A top BCCI official spoke about starting teh league at Chinnaswamy. Ha also added that State’s Deputy Chief Minister himself said so. Here is what Depty CM way quoted as saying in media.
“We have decided about the IPL matches. We are positive. We have asked our Home Minister G Parameshwara to have a meeting with them (KSCA authorities). Parameshwara will discuss with the Cricket Association. The Home Minister will deal with it.”
This commotion about the Chinnaswamy ground is due to the catastrophic stampede on June 4. The horrific incident claimed 11 fans and left many more injured during the RCB’s victory celebrantions. After that incident, the State Government has been denying permission for cricket matches at the venue. Even BCCI was forced to move out the Women’s World Cup matches out of the city.
