The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has said that the schedule for IPL 2026 will be released in a day or two - likely on March 12 and not later than March 13. The tournament is set to begin on March 28, as first reported by Cricbuzz and will finish on May 31.

"We are hoping to release the IPL schedule in a day or two," Devajit Saikia, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), confirmed to Cricbuzz on Tuesday (March 10) evening. "It will be a staggered two-phase schedule and we will release the first phase, covering the first 20 days, on March 12 or 13. The second phase of the schedule will be announced after the dates of the Assembly elections are declared by the Election Commission of India."

The states of Tamil Nadu, Assam, West Bengal and Kerala will go to the polls this summer, and the timeline of the IPL will inevitably be influenced by the election dates in at least three, if not all four, states. Cricbuzz had reported on March 3 that the IPL Governing Council had cleared the plan for a two-phase schedule.

"We are waiting for confirmations from a few centres and once they come, we will announce the dates for the first phase," the BCCI secretary further said, confirming that there will be one new venue - Raipur - apart from the regular centres of the league.

Meanwhile, the ongoing war in the Middle East has been a cause for concern given the possibility of fuel shortages across the world. But Saikia said the BCCI was currently not influenced by any factor other than the impending Assembly elections and that once the dates for the polls are announced, the full IPL schedule would also be released. He also confirmed that the season will not extend beyond May 31.