Indian cricket fans are all set to play non-stop cricket for almost three months after the exciting T20 World Cup 2026, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the schedule of the upcoming Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026).
On Wednesday, March 11, the BCCI confirmed the dates for the first phase of the upcoming IPL 2026, which is set to begin on March 28 with defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) facing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the season-opening match.
Overview of IPL 2026 teams and squads after the auction
The upcoming edition of IPL 2026 is expected to be more exciting than the previous edition after teams made some bold moves in the mini-auction in Abu Dhabi in December 2025.
Also read: MS Dhoni out of CSK playing eleven? Kasi Vishwanathan drops a bomb before IPL 2026
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
CSK has created a new look team by combining experience with youth. The five-time IPL champion has surprised everyone by breaking ties with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran and bringing Sanju Samson into the team. They also made headlines by spending ₹14.20 crore on uncapped Indian players Prashant Veer and Karthik Sharma in the auction.
key players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, Sarfaraz Khan, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Dewald Brewis, Prashant Veer, Ayush Mhatre
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians made minimal moves in the auction, but they successfully re-acquired Quinton de Kock.
key players: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Quinton de Kock, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Will Jacques
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have strengthened their squad with some smart signings as they aim to defend their maiden title in the upcoming IPL 2026.
key players: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt, Venkatesh Iyer, Josh Hazlewood, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethel
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
KKR made headlines by signing Australian all-rounder Cameron Green in one of the biggest contracts of the IPL 2026 mini-auction, becoming the most expensive overseas player in IPL history. The three-time champions signed Green for ₹25.20 crore in the auction.
key players: Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Cameron Green, Varun Chakraborty, Harshit Rana, Mathisha Pathirana
Also read: Sanjeev Goenka is ready to sell Lucknow Super Giants before IPL 2026
Gujarat Titans (GT)
Gujarat Titans have made only a few adjustments for IPL 2026. West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder was their most expensive buy in the auction with ₹7 crore.
key players: Shubman Gill, Sai Sudarshan, Jos Buttler, Rashid Khan, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada.
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Delhi Capitals made some bold moves in the mini auction. Their most expensive purchase was Jammu and Kashmir’s talented all-rounder Auqib Nabi, who was bought for a whopping price of Rs 8.40 crore.
DC brought in big hitters like David Miller and Ben Duckett for ₹2 crore each, and added Sri Lankan star Pathum Nissanka for ₹4 crore in the auction to strengthen their batting for IPL 2026.
key players: KL Rahul, Tristan Stubbs, Abhishek Porel, Ben Duckett, Axar Patel, Ashutosh Sharma, Oqib Nabi, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Pathum Nissanka, Sameer Rizvi, David Miller
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Lucknow Supergiants had spent a huge sum of ₹8.6 crore to acquire Australian wicketkeeper Josh Inglis. LSG, aiming to make a strong comeback, also picked up Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga and South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje for their base price of ₹2 crore.
key players: Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ayush Badoni, Mohammed Shami, Digvesh Rathi, Anrich Nortje.
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
There was a big change in Rajasthan Royals after the sale of Sanju Samson to CSK. Their big signing was leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi (₹7.20 crore).
key players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Ryan Parag, Sam Curran, Ravi Bishnoi, Jofra Archer, Adam Milne, Kwena Mafaka.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Sunrisers Hyderabad has retained most of its main players. SRH bought England all-rounder Liam Livingstone for the highest price of Rs 13 crore. They also signed Jack Edwards, Salil Arora and Shivam Mavi in the auction.
key players: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan, Salil Arora, Liam Livingstone, Jack Edwards, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel and Brydon Carse.
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Punjab Kings decided to stick with their core after reaching the final in 2025. Only Ben Dwarshuis (₹4.40 crore) and Cooper Connolly (₹3 crore), Praveen Dubey and Vishal Nishad (₹30 lakh each) were signed in the auction.
key players: Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Marco Johnson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ben Dwarshuis
IPL 2026 Full Schedule & Match List – 1st Stage
IPL 2026 Phase 1 Schedule (Express Sports). pic.twitter.com/Bux5ZpxDjz
– Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) 11 March 2026