New Delhi, March 26 (IANS) The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said on Thursday that a game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals on April 13 will begin the second phase of the 2026 season. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said venues for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 playoffs will be announced later.

Earlier, the BCCI announced the IPL 2026 schedule for the first 20 games due to elections in Assam, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu. But once the Election Commission of India (ECI) gave the clear dates and timelines around it, the BCCI has now come up with the schedule of the second phase of the competition -- with 50 matches to be played across 12 venues from April 13 to May 24.

The league stage will resume with SRH, the 2016 champions, hosting inaugural winners RR at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on April 13. Matches in the second phase of the competition will be staged in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Dharamsala, Raipur, and New Chandigarh.

The eight double-headers are lined up, with afternoon games starting at 3:30 p.m. IST and evening fixtures at 7:30 p.m. Punjab Kings will split their home matches between PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh and HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala, which will host three games.

RR will play their remaining four games at their primary home venue – the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, while defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will host three matches in Bengaluru before hosting the rest of their two home games at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur.

Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will face off twice in the second phase. The first meeting between CSK and MI will happen on April 23 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, while the next clash is set to happen at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 2.

Last year, the DC-PBKS evening clash was halted in Dharamsala due to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. Now, on May 11, the HPCA Stadium will host the same clash. The final group stage match will be played between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi Capitals on May 24 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The first leg will start with a match between defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28.

--IANS

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