The BCCI has announced the schedule for the first 20 games of IPL 2026, with the league set to begin on March 28 as RCB take on SRH in the tournament opener. As things heat up heading towards the IPL, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan has dismissed reports of Suresh Raina returning to the camp. In international cricket, Pakistan were handed a heavy loss by Bangladesh in the 1st ODI. On that note, take a look at the biggest headlines from Wednesday below.

IPL 2026 schedule out

After a significant delay, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the schedule for the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). The cash-rich T20 league, the most popular in the world currently, will begin on March 28 with the final on May 31. In Phase 1, a total of 20 games will be played over 16 days. Read more here.

Will Bengaluru host IPL 2026 matches?

Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, as expected, is slated to host the opening encounter between RCB & SRH on March 28. But as has been the case so far, the suspense over Bengaluru as the venue, continues. As per a statement by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, the matches in Bengaluru are subject to ‘clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka’. Read more here.

Abhishek Sharma still number 1

Abhishek Shama has managed to retain his position at number 1 in the ICC rankings for batters in T20Is despite performing below average in the T20 World Cup 2026. Apart from registering 3 consecutive ducks, the Punjab batter registered just two 50+ plus scores in the maruqee event – one which came against Zimbabwe in the Super 8 clash and the other in the final against New Zealand. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan has jumped two places to be ranked 2nd while Varun Chakravarthy has been displaced as the number 1 ranked T20I bowler. Read more here.

Latest cricket news

Rana wreaks havoc on Pakistan

Bangladesh cricket team pacer Nahid Rana wreaked havoc on the Pakistan batters in the BAN vs PAK 1st ODI as the visitors were bundled out for just 114 runs. The Men in Green’s preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup started off on the wrong note as Shaheen Afridi and co. were no match for BAN in Dhaka. Rana clinched his first five-wicket haul in his ODI career to decimate the visitors. Read more here.

Suresh Raina won’t return to CSK

Over the past few days, rumours have been making the rounds that Suresh Raina is all set to be a part of CSK support staff in IPL 2026. Fondly known as ‘Chinna Thala’, the former India batter was booted out of the franchise after the 2021 season. Speaking on a Tamil news channel, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan confirmed that Raina will not be the CSK fielding coach for IPL 2026. Read more here.

Bumrah’s ODI World Cup blueprint

India cricket team are gearing up to prepare for the ODI World Cup in 2027 following their T20 World Cup 2026 win and Jasprit Bumrah is an integral part of their plans. As per reports, the premium Indian pacer – who finished as the leading run-getter in the recently-concluded tournament, will focus more on ODIs than T20Is leading up to the marquee event. Bumrah’s workload management comes under scrutiny once again as he is an all-format player and is essential for India’s success in the 50-over format as well. Read more here.