Your team scores 175 at Chinnaswamy and gets chased down in 18 overs.
Same total at Chepauk, you win by 20 runs. That’s not random. Venues decide games as much as players do.
Boundary size changes power-hitting value. Altitude changes how far mishits travel.
Dew changes what spinners can do in the second innings. Ten teams, eleven grounds, and each one rewrites the rulebook.
The IPL 2026 venues break down like this.
IPL 2026 Venues
This guide compares venues by quantifiable metrics rather than speculation.
Data includes seating capacity ranges, match volume distribution, and timing patterns across confirmed and shortlisted stadiums.
Comparing IPL 2026 Venues by Capacity and City
Stadium capacity ranges from 21,200 to 1,32,000 seats, creating distinct venue categories. Geographic spread covers northern, southern, eastern, and western regions.
| Stadium | City | Seating Capacity | Relative Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narendra Modi Stadium | Ahmedabad | 1,32,000 | Large |
| Eden Gardens | Kolkata | 68,000 | Large |
| Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium | Raipur | 65,000 | Large |
| Rajiv Gandhi Stadium | Hyderabad | 55,000 | Large |
| Ekana Cricket Stadium | Lucknow | 50,000 | Medium |
| JSCA International Stadium | Ranchi | 50,000 | Medium |
| Greenfield International Stadium | Thiruvananthapuram | 50,000 | Medium |
| ACA Cricket Stadium | Guwahati | 46,000 | Medium |
| DY Patil Stadium | Navi Mumbai | 45,300 | Medium |
| Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium | Pune | 42,700 | Medium |
| M. Chinnaswamy Stadium | Bengaluru | 40,000 | Medium |
| M. A. Chidambaram Stadium | Chennai | 39,000 | Medium |
| Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium | New Chandigarh | 38,000 | Medium |
| Arun Jaitley Stadium | Delhi | 35,200 | Medium |
| Wankhede Stadium | Mumbai | 33,108 | Small |
| Sawai Mansingh Stadium | Jaipur | 30,000 | Small |
| ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium | Visakhapatnam | 27,500 | Small |
| HPCA Cricket Stadium | Dharamshala | 21,200 | Small |
Teams and Their Home Grounds
Some franchises stick with one stadium all season. Others split matches between two cities.
| Team | Home Stadium | City |
|---|---|---|
| Chennai Super Kings | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium | Chennai |
| Delhi Capitals | Arun Jaitley Stadium | Delhi |
| Gujarat Titans | Narendra Modi Stadium | Ahmedabad |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | Eden Gardens | Kolkata |
| Lucknow Super Giants | BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium | Lucknow |
| Mumbai Indians | Wankhede Stadium | Mumbai |
| Punjab Kings | New PCA Stadium | Chandigarh (Mullanpur) |
| Rajasthan Royals | ACA Stadium + SMS Stadium | Guwahati + Jaipur |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium | Bengaluru + Raipur |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium | Hyderabad |
Which Stadiums Will Feature in the Upcoming Cricket Season?
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
The season starts here on March 28, 7:30 PM IST. RCB against SRH. Still needs safety clearance from the Expert Committee on March 13, after what happened with the crowd in 2025. Capacity’s locked at 35,000 if it goes ahead.
This would be the ground’s 100th IPL match.
Chinnaswamy doesn’t forgive bad bowling. Short boundaries, 900 metres altitude. The ball is carried in the thin air. Mistimed pulls clear the rope. Chasing teams won 53 of 99 matches here. Pitch stays good in both innings.
Kohli has 3,202 IPL runs at this ground. Nobody else at any single venue comes close. The fastest IPL century happened here. 30 balls.
| Matches (pre-2026) | Avg 1st Innings Score | Bat 1st Wins | Chase Wins | Highest Total | Square Boundary | Straight Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | ~166–168 | 47 | 53 | 287/3 | 55–60 m | 65–70 m |
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Ask bowlers about defending here. They all say dew. Then maybe they mention the pitch.
Good bounce, fast outfield, short square sides. By innings two, dew’s settled and the ball skids through.
Chasing teams won 67 of 123 matches. The toss basically writes itself.
MI hosts KKR on March 29, 7:30 PM IST. Match 2. Wankhede gets Match 20 too.
Rohit has 2,500-plus runs here. Malinga took 68 wickets. Both records.
| Matches | Avg 1st Innings Score | Bat 1st Wins | Chase Wins | Highest Total | Square Boundary | Straight Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123 | ~170 | 56 | 67 | 235/1 | ~64 m | Up to 82 m |
ACA Stadium, Guwahati
RR’s first-phase home. Three matches, then they move to Jaipur.
Not much IPL history here. Different climate from the rest.
Teams are reading conditions from ball one. RR opens against CSK on March 30, 7:30 PM IST. Match 3.
Matches 13 and 16 happen here, too. How the pitch plays across those three games will tell captains what this ground actually is.
Limited IPL data available. Still building its identity.
New PCA Stadium, Chandigarh (Mullanpur)
Mullanpur hasn’t figured itself out yet. Six wins batting first, five chasing. Nearly split.
Dual-soil pitches mean the square varies. Drainage is good, so rain doesn’t kill the day. PBKS opens here against GT on March 31. Match 4.
2025 saw the first innings average 180. High for IPL grounds. Priyansh Arya smashed 103 off 42 for PBKS against CSK. Ground record.
| Avg 1st Innings Score (2025) | Bat 1st Wins | Chase Wins | Highest Total | Square Boundary | Straight Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 180 | 6 | 5 | 228/5 | 64–67 m | 68–72 m |
BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Ekana’s still learning who it is. Early matches had lower scores. Totals climbed as more games got played.
Black-soil and red-soil tracks on the same square. Bounce and grip change match to match.
Teams winning the toss won 63 percent here. Conditions matter more than most places.
LSG hosts DC on April 1, 7:30 PM IST. Match 5.
| Matches | Avg 1st Innings Score | Bat 1st Wins | Chase Wins | Highest Total | Square Boundary | Straight Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 167 | 8 | 10 | 245/6 | 66 m | 77 m |
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
High humidity meets evening dew. The second innings get easier.
Scoring has gone up in recent years. Long-term average sits around 166. Chasing teams won 56 of 97 matches. Under lights, it tilts harder.
KKR brings the tournament to Kolkata for Match 6 on April 2. SRH visiting.
Extremes live here. Lowest total: 49 all out. Highest: 262/2. That’s the range.
| Matches | Avg 1st Innings Score | Bat 1st Wins | Chase Wins | Highest Total | Square Boundary | Straight Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97 | ~166 | 40 | 56 | 262/2 | 66–68 m | 76–78 m |
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Chepauk ignores what works everywhere else. Red-soil pitch grips and slows as the game goes on. Shots that land at other grounds don’t land here.
Teams batting first won 56.5 percent. That’s backwards from the IPL norm. 2025 added three more 200-plus scores. Total’s now 19. Something shifted slightly.
CSK hosts PBKS on April 3. Match 7. The crowd’s loud from over one.
Right-arm bowlers took 745 wickets here. Left-armers took 277. Averages 11 sixes per match, one of the lowest in the competition.
Nobody’s crossed 250. 92 matches played.
| Matches | Avg 1st Innings Score | Bat 1st Wins | Chase Wins | Highest Total | Square Boundary | Straight Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92 | 164.6 | 56.5% | 43.5% | 246/5 | 65–68 m | 78–80 m |
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Something changed after they redid the pitch in 2023. Scores jumped. Haven’t dropped.
Short square boundaries, quick outfield. Runs come from over one.
Big totals became standard. SRH hit 278/3 against KKR in 2025. New ground record.
DC hosts MI on April 4, 3:30 PM IST. Match 8. First game of a doubleheader day.
IPL 2024 saw 11.2 runs per over here. Highest scoring rate of any ground that season.
The spread between 66 all out (lowest ever) and 278/3 (highest) is wild.
| Avg 1st Innings Score | Highest Total | Lowest Total | Square Boundary | Straight Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 210 | 278/3 | 66 all out | ~65 m | 68–70 m |
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Size alone changes everything. Biggest playing area this season. Long boundaries make scoring harder than most venues.
Black-soil and red-soil pitches on the square. Black-soil bounces better, carries more. Red soil dries faster, slows through innings. Toss and pitch choice matter here.
GT meets RR in Match 9 on April 4, 7:30 PM IST.
Batting first and chasing teams each won 22 matches. Most balanced ground in the IPL. Recent first innings have ranged from 172 to 221.
| Bat 1st Wins | Chase Wins | Highest Total | Square Boundary | Straight Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 22 | 243/5 | 67–74 m | 75–80 m |
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
The historical average shows 163. That number’s old news. Recent matches pushed past 200. Conditions went batting-friendly.
Dew arrives after 8:30 PM, kills spin grip. The second innings get easier to bat. Chasing teams won 47 of 83 matches.
SRH opens at home against LSG on April 5, 3:30 PM IST. Match 10.
Highest IPL total here: 286/6. As night falls, dew takes over.
| Matches | Avg 1st Innings Score | Bat 1st Wins | Chase Wins | Highest Total | Square Boundary | Straight Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 83 | ~163 | 36 | 47 | 286/6 | 66–69 m | 69–71 m |
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Of all the list of IPL 2026 venues with seating capacities, Jaipur has the strongest chasing trend. Pitch gives early seam, then dries and slows. Spinners come in mid-innings.
Evening dew during night games reduces grip for bowlers in the second dig. Chasing teams won 41 of 64 matches.
SMS doesn’t show in the first 20 fixtures. RR plays early in Guwahati and comes back to Jaipur later.
Only eight totals crossed 200 here. Square boundaries around 72 metres keep scoring controlled.
| Matches | Avg 1st Innings Score | Bat 1st Wins | Chase Wins | Highest Total | Square Boundary | Straight Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 164.9 | 23 | 41 | 219/5 | ~72 m | ~75 m |
IPL 2026 Date and Time
The IPL 2026 final date isn’t set yet. League phase starts March 28 with the Bengaluru opener, if it gets clearance.
Most matches start at 7:30 PM IST for prime time. Some go 3:30 PM IST as doubleheader openers.
How Can I Buy Tickets for the 2026 Major Cricket Tournament
IPL 2026 tickets go on sale through BookMyShow and the official IPL app. Those are the main partners.
For specific venues:
- Team websites
- Stadium box offices
- Authorized platforms only
Search “IPL 2026 venues near me” on the official app for the closest stadium schedules. Tickets usually drop 2-3 weeks before each phase.
Skip unauthorized resellers. Official partners only.
Expert Insight: Why Venue Knowledge Wins
Same XI, same bowling lineup, same batting order. Move from Wankhede to Chepauk, and the whole game plan rewrites.
Chinnaswamy rewards power. Chepauk punishes it. Delhi needs 210 to feel safe.
Jaipur needs smart rotation plus dew planning. Ahmedabad’s size alone forces different fields and lengths.
Franchises that study venues build squads accordingly. Extra spinners for Chennai.
Pace and power for Bengaluru. Dew specialists for Mumbai nights.
Best captains read surfaces in three overs and adjust. Not just win tosses. That gap separates good teams from champions.
Which Cities Are Hosting IPL Matches in 2026?
What are the likely host cities for the 2026 cricket league?
- Bengaluru
- Mumbai
- Guwahati
- Chandigarh (Mullanpur)
- Lucknow
- Kolkata
- Chennai
- Delhi
- Ahmedabad
- Hyderabad
- Jaipur
Each city brings different weather, crowd energy, and pitch behavior. Makes the schedule harder to predict than any other T20 league.
FAQs
- Which stadiums will feature in the upcoming cricket season?
Eleven across India. Chinnaswamy (Bengaluru), Wankhede (Mumbai), Eden Gardens (Kolkata), Narendra Modi Stadium (Ahmedabad), plus seven others spread around.
- Where can I buy tickets for IPL 2026 venue matches?
BookMyShow or the official IPL app. Authorized partners. Tickets drop 2-3 weeks before each phase, usually. Skip anyone else.
- What’s the average score at most IPL 2026 venues?
Totally depends. Delhi averages 210 now. Chennai sits at 164. Chinnaswamy and Wankhede between 166-170. Size, altitude, and dew all factor.
- Which venue favors chasing teams the most?
Jaipur by a lot. 41 chase wins in 64 matches. Wankhede and Eden Gardens also lean heavily on the second innings because dew shows up every night.
- When will 2026 cricket league match tickets become available?
Usually, 2-3 weeks before each phase starts. Check the official IPL app or team websites for exact dates. BookMyShow handles most sales.
Eleven Grounds Playing by Different Rules
No two venues ask the same questions. Chinnaswamy and Wankhede test power from ball one. Chepauk and Jaipur? Patience wins there.
Delhi expects 200-plus now. Just standard. Ahmedabad keeps everyone guessing till the toss. Guwahati and Mullanpur are still figuring themselves out.
Dew shapes half these grounds. Add pitch type, altitude, and boundary size. Teams that actually read conditions win matches that the scorecard can’t explain.
More venue variety this season than before. Makes every match harder to call. Which is better, honestly?
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