The 2026 IPL season has begun because the BCCI announced both the opening match date and the complete first 20 match schedule which creates anticipation among supporters. The 19th edition of the world’s biggest T20 league will begin on March 28. The inaugural champions, Rajasthan Royals, are chasing their second title and stepping into a new era in the franchise’s history. Riyan Parag has taken over as captain, replacing Sanju Samson, who joined Chennai Super Kings after a high-profile trade. Kumar Sangakkara has returned as head coach while the team appointed a new captain after Rahul Dravid left the team following their unsuccessful 2025 season. The Royals will begin their season on March 30 when they face the Chennai Super Kings and their supporters want to observe the team's performance through this season's new player lineup. The Royals will begin the 2026 campaign against CSK in Match 3 of the tournament. The match will take place in Guwahati, which serves as one of their designated home grounds. Their primary goal requires them to achieve a top four finish which leads into playoff qualification and final match contention. The team schedules three of its four matches for Guwahati during the first phase of the season which they have already announced. The Royals finished the previous season in ninth place on the points table because they had the same number of points as last-placed Chennai Super Kings. The team won four of their 14 league matches but they were unable to create any winning streaks during the entire season. The franchise initiated a complete team transformation after the team experienced its most disappointing season. The team executed a significant trade by sending former captain Sanju Samson to CSK while acquiring Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja from the five-time champions. Match no. Teams Date & Time Venue 3 RR vs CSK March 30, 7:30 PM Guwahati 9 GT vs RR April 4, 7:30 PM Ahmedabad 13 RR vs MI April 7, 7:30 PM Guwahati 16 RR vs RCB April 10, 7:30 PM Guwahati The management dedicated their efforts to developing a stronger bowling unit through their auction activities which extended beyond their trading operations. The team made their highest acquisition during the mini auction when they signed leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi who had previously played for both Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants. The franchise acquired him for ₹7.20 crore. The team acquired pacer Adam Milne to their roster which already contained Bishnoi and had only a few overseas player slots available. The team brought in Sushant Mishra and Kuldeep Sen and Yash Raj Punja and Brijesh Sharma as their Indian players. Also Read | India’s T20 World Cup 2026 Victory Ends Shubman Gill’s Captaincy Hopes The spin department which includes Jadeja and Bishnoi receives an upgrade through the addition of former Mumbai Indians spinner Vignesh Puthur. He replaces players like Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga who the franchise released before the auction. The Railways setup brings a strong batter who will strengthen the existing batting order of the team which already has established players. The team released two important players from their previous roster when they let go of Afghanistan pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi and Indian fast bowler Akash Madhwal. Rajasthan Royals squad for IPL 2026: Riyan Parag(c), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Donovan Ferreira, Sandeep Sharma, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Yash Raj Punja, Vignesh Puthur, Ravi Singh, Aman Rao, Brijesh Sharma, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen.