The Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to skip the opening ceremony of IPL 2026. The move comes as a mark of respect for the 11 people who died in a stampede in Bengaluru on June 4 last year during Royal Challengers Bengaluru title celebrations.
There will be no pre-match show before the opening game. The first match will see Royal Challengers Bengaluru face Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday night at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the decision. He said the board will not hold any cultural or entertainment program at the start of the season.
“Due to last year’s tragic incident on June 4 last year, there will be no formal function on the day of the start of IPL-2026 (in Bengaluru). The BCCI is not organizing any cultural or entertainment show at the start of IPL-19 as a mark of respect to the departed souls due to that tragedy on June 4, 2025. However, the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council are planning a grand entertainment function at the closing of the IPL, on the day of the final (May 31),” Saikia told TOI.
The board plans to hold a big closing ceremony on the day of the final, May 31.
Last season, the league began with a grand event at Eden Gardens. Shah Rukh Khan, Shreya Ghoshal, Karan Aujla, and Disha Patani performed at that event.
A similar step was taken in 2019 after the Pulwama attack. The board cancelled the opening ceremony that year and donated the funds to the victims’ families.
The IPL 2026 season will start on March 28. Sunrisers Hyderabad will play Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening match in Bengaluru.
