The wait for the IPL 2026 Auction is officially over, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announcing the schedule of the tournament and finalising the list of players to be auctioned. Such news will greatly affect the plans of franchises in preparation for the IPL Auction.
IPL 2026 Schedule Announced
The upcoming season of IPL 2026 will commence from March 26 and will end on May 31. The dates were decided in an important conference between IPL authorities and team representatives in Abu Dhabi.
The schedule has now been officialised by IPL CEO Hemang Amin, with a pre-auction press conference, providing relief to all franchises in order to make necessary plans for team compilation in the upcoming season.
Uncertainty Regarding IPL 2026 Opening Match Location
Although the dates have been fixed for the tournament, there is some ambiguity in regards to where Season 19 will kick off. Traditionally, the first match of IPL takes place at the stadium of the previous year’s winner.
But it remains to be seen if M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will stage this inaugural match. The KSCA has got tentative approval from the state government, but no final clearance can come until it adheres to very tight security and safety standards.
19 Players Shortlisted Before IPL Auction 2026
In a major breakthrough before the upcoming IPL 2026 Auction, the BCCI has allowed a late entry of 19 extra players in the list of players available for auctioning. This will thus raise the number of players available in the auction to a total of 369.
A senior official in the franchise called this a record and unprecedented, saying that never in the history of an IPL auction have this many players been added at such a late stage. A prominent name among them is Indian batsman Abhimanyu Easwaran, who is listed at number 360 in the auction.
Some other players added late to the auction list:
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Mani Shankar Murasingh (TCA)
Virendra Singh (Malaysia)
KL Srijith (KSCA)
Ethan Bosch (South Africa)
Chris Green (Australia)
Blessing Muzarabani (Zimbabwe)
Ben Sears (New Zealand)
Kyle Verreynne (South Africa)
Abhimanyu Easwaran’s Ent
The event will take place in the Etihad Arena, which is based in Abu Dhabi, where teams will complete their rosters for next season. The franchises have seen a change in focus with regards to team.
With a fixed schedule for IPL 2026 and a final list of players for the auction, all franchises will now focus on improving their team strength. A perfect strategy in bidding and budgeting will be very important in making a winning combination.
ALSO READ: IPL 2026 Auction: Players To Watch Out For
