Not 84, IPL 2026 to be 74-match tournament again, full schedule next week

There have been rumours on social media that the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League will consist of 84 matches. But it’s not true. IPL 2026 will continue to be a 74-game tournament like the last edition. That means the 10 teams won’t face each other twice in the league stage. Instead, like the last three editions, teams will be divided into two groups of five each. Each team will play home and away against teams in their group. They will face the teams from the other group once, unless they are in the playoffs. With the format intact, the BCCI will now announce the IPL 2026 full schedule next week as the state election dates are now out.

Based on BCCI’s IPL media rights, the tournament was supposed to move to a longer window with more matches. IPL chairman Arun Dhumal hinted last year that the tournament will move to 84 matches in 2026-27 and then 94 games from 2028. The BCCI was also in discussion with the ICC regarding that expansion. However, it has not materialised yet. IPL has remained a 65-day tournament.

The ’84-match IPL 2026′

The fans and cricket enthusiasts made their own deductions and speculated that IPL 2026 will be an 84-match tournament. They reasons to believe that it would be this season. Some fans pointed out the IPL fantasy game documentation, which initially claimed that IPL 2026 would have 80 league games. However, that’s not true. The My11Circle IPL fantasy game has updated the section, stating it would have 70 league games.

InsideSport understands that there were discussions with the ICC, as well as the broadcaster, to accommodate 10 more matches in IPL 2026. However, that has not materialised for various reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that the IPL window was already decided in 2023. The current ICC Future Tours Program (FTP) will end in April 2027. And that is when ICC can grant IPL its longer window. Another reason is the West Asia war. Even if BCCI pushes for a longer IPL, due to the fuel crisis and frequent airspace closure, it would not work out this time. Pakistan Super League has already moved to a closed-door two-venue tournament due to that.

The move to make IPL longer has been a long-standing demand of many franchise owners, including Ness Wadia of Punjab Kings. However, due to a packed schedule and emphasis on one ICC event every year, IPL could not force its way. But that could change next year when the ICC finalises the FTP for 2027-31. With the BCCI also eying more money from IPL media rights, it will have to grant the broadcaster more matches in the next cycle, which ends next year.

What about IPL 2026 full schedule?

BCCI revealed Phase 1 of the IPL schedule on March 11. It had just 20 games for 16 match days till April 12. The hold-up was due to state assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam and Tamil Nadu. But two days later, the Election Commission of India announced the election schedule, paving the way for the BCCI to plan the full schedule.

As per Cricbuzz, the BCCI will now announce the full IPL schedule, including the rest of the 54 matches, sometime next week, before the tournament begins on March 28.

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