Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to finalise the schedule for the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League, with vice-president Rajeev Shukla confirming that the board is waiting for the government to announce election dates in several states before locking in fixtures and venues.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Speaking to IANS, Shukla said the BCCI was mindful of the upcoming elections and wanted to ensure there was no clash between polling and matches in key centres. “We are working on the IPL schedule, but we are still awaiting the government’s announcement of the election dates. Once those dates are confirmed, we will be able to draw up a schedule that does not disrupt the election process or clash with matches in the poll-bound states, ensuring smooth conduct of both,” Shukla said.
Elections are expected to be held across multiple states, with the BCCI closely tracking announcements for Assam, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The uncertainty has a direct bearing on venues such as the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, which hosts some Rajasthan Royals home games, as well as Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium and Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, the respective bases of Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.
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Shukla also revealed that two franchises — Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) — have been asked to confirm their home venues at the earliest. “As far as the home venues of RCB and RR are concerned, we have asked the franchises to take a final call and inform us within a week. Once the teams finalise their venues, we will prepare the schedule accordingly. So, at this stage, we are waiting for the teams’ decisions as well as the announcement of the election dates,” he added.Last week, the Karnataka State Cricket Association received conditional approval to host IPL and international matches at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, continue to face uncertainty over Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium due to administrative issues within the Rajasthan Cricket Association.
