BENGALURU, India, March 11 (Reuters) - Indian Premier League champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will start the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28 after the Indian cricket board on Wednesday announced the schedule for the first phase of the campaign.
The BCCI released only the first phase of the schedule, covering matches from March 28 to April 12, as three states are scheduled to undergo State Assembly elections. The remaining fixtures will be released once the poll dates are announced.
Mumbai Indians, joint record five-times champions, launch their campaign at home to the Kolkata Knight Riders on March 29. Fellow five-time winners Chennai Super Kings begin the following day when they travel to face the Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati.
Matches in Bengaluru remain subject to clearance from an expert committee nominated by the Government of Karnataka.
The Chinnaswamy Stadium has not staged any cricket with fans since a stampede killed 11 people in June while RCB supporters were celebrating the team's maiden IPL title outside the arena.
RCB are slated to play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur during this year's IPL.
"The committee will conduct a meeting and inspection of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 13, 2026, during which a full-scale mock demonstration of match-day arrangements will be carried out to assess the stadium's preparedness for hosting IPL matches," the BCCI said in a statement.
The IPL runs from March 28 to May 31.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
