Royal Challengers Bengaluru will begin their Indian Premier League 2026 campaign as the defending champions. Led by Rajat Patidar, the Royal Challengers won their first IPL trophy for the first time in the 18th edition of the league. Despite a horrible stampede near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, halted action in the stadium, fans will be excited to see their champion team back in action in their den.
With a trophy to their name, Rajat Patidar’s side will be roaring to come back to action in their hunt for the second IPL title. The addition of fresh faces and the experience of veteran players including Virat Kohli, Bhubaneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya.
RCB IPL 2026 Schedule
IPL 2026 slated to start from March 28th with the final scheduled for May 31st will see each team play 14 matches each in the league stage. Royal Challengers Bengaluru being the defending champions will play the opening match of the tournament.
As listed in TATA IPL RCB schedule, Patidar’s men will play 5 matches at their home ground Chinnaswamy at Bengaluru and two home matches at Raipur while rest of the 7 matches will be played across different venues across the nation.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Schedule for IPL 2026: Matches dates and timings
Due to administrative constraints the full schedule of the tournament will be released in two phases. However, the Royal Challengers are most likely to play all the seven matches at Chinnaswamy.
Regarding the away matches, there might be changes in venues due to upcoming assembly elections in various states including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, guaranteeing RCB fans plenty of action and entertainment throughout the season.
RCB IPL Schedule 2026: Projected fixtures
Based on BCCI updates and rotational format of Indian Premier League, here’s a probable RCB match IPL 2026 schedule:
| Match no. | Opponent | Venue | Date | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match 1 | Chennai Super Kings | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 28 March, 2026 | 7:30 |
| Match 2 | Rajasthan Royals | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur | 31 March, 2026 | 7:30 |
| Match 3 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 4 April, 2026 | 7:30 |
| Match 4. | Delhi Capitals | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | 7 April, 2026 | 7:30 |
| Match 5 | Gujarat Titans | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | 11 April, 2026 | 3:30 |
| Match 6 | Lucknow Super Giants | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 15 April, 2026 | 7:30 |
| Match 7 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 19 April, 2026 | 7:30 |
| Match 8 | Gujarat Titans | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 21 April, 2026 | 7:30 |
| Match 9 | Mumbai Indians | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 24 April, 2026 | 7:30 |
| Match 10 | Rajasthan Royals | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 26 April, 2026 | 3:30 |
| Match 11 | Lucknow Super Giants | Ekana Stadium, Lucknow | 30 April, 2026 | 7:30 |
| Match 12 | Punjab Kings | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium | 3 May, 2026 | 7:30 |
| Match 13 | Delhi Capitals | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium | 7 May, 2026 | 7:30 |
| Match 14 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Hyderabad | 10 May, 2026 | 7:30 |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL 2026 Squad
- Captain: Rajat Patidar
- Batters: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jordan Cox (wk)
- All-rounders: Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Venkatesh Iyer, Satvik Deswal, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan
- Bowlers: Josh Hazelwood, Rasikh Dar, Bhubneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Nuwan Thushara, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Yash Dayal
