Venue for IPL 2026 playoffs reveal, know in detail

As the defending champion of IPL 2025, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will play the opening match of IPL 2026. The full fixture is yet to be revealed. But it is speculated that the first match of the tournament can be organized at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Published - Dec 30, 2025, 16:41 IST | Updated - Dec 30, 2025, 16:41 IST

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As the defending champion of IPL 2025, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will play the opening match of IPL 2026. The full fixture is yet to be revealed. But it is speculated that the first match of the tournament can be organized at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Amid all the speculations, a major update has emerged regarding the venue of the playoffs of the league.

It is claimed by multiple sources that Mullanpur can get the duty to organize the IPL 2026 playoff matches. In IPL 2025, the playoff matches were scheduled to take place in Hyderabad and Kolkata. However, the tournament was halted for one week in May due to border tensions between India and Pakistan. Later, the remaining matches shifted to Narendra Modi International Cricket Stadium and MYS Stadium in New Chandigarh. Along with border tension, the weather conditions also had an effect on the tournament last season.

The cricket stadium in Mullanpur, which is Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, is also the home ground of Punjab Kings (PBKS), the runner-up of the IPL 2025 campaign. Under Shreyas Iyer's captaincy, PBKS finished as the runners-up last season, making it to the playoffs after 10 years. In the final, they lost against Rajat Patidar-led RCB and finished as the second-best team of IPL 2025. In IPL 2026, Shreyas Iyer will again lead the team.