The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the dates for the upcoming general elections in 4 states and a union territory. April 9th has been confirmed as the date of the poll in Assam. Will this affect the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026? Will the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) be forced to make amends to the schedule?
Just 4 days ago, the BCCI announced the fixtures for the 19th edition of the IPL. Due to the delay in the announcement of dates by the ECI, the cricket body was forced to unveil the schedule in phases. As of now, only the first 20 matches have been confirmed.
Assam’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium, which serves as the second home base of the Rajasthan Royals (RR), was one of the 10 venues confirmed to host matches. However, this was prior to ECI confirming the 9th of April as the date of the general elections in Assam.
Assam elections to force IPL 2026 schedule change?
RR are to face the Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on either side on April 7. Will the BCCI have to make another change? At this point, it’s tough to say. It’s safe to assume that the BCCI would’ve held discussions with the required government authorities before announcing the schedule.
Last year, BCCI unveiled the fixtures in mid-February. They’d already been waiting over 20 days and could’ve waited a bit more, but didn’t. This suggests the BCCI probably already had the required approval. However, securing 24×7 security for players and the stadium during match times will still be challenging due to election duties.
The preparation for a general election commences 1-2 weeks earlier. The police will be on notice. They’ll have to look for suspicious activities. Ensure money isn’t being transferred; look over the safe transfers of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to the polling booths and then back. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will be on alert as well, since Assam shares a border with Bangladesh.
Getting the required security won’t be easy. The BCCI should announce the entire IPL 2026 schedule in the coming days, and then we’ll know whether dates for matches in Guwahati are changed or not.
IPL 2026 schedule (Phase 1) – Guwahati
| Match No | Date | Day | Home | Away | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | March 30 | Monday | Rajasthan Royals | Chennai Super Kings | 7:30 PM |
| 13 | April 7 | Tueday | Rajasthan Royals | Mumbai Indians | 7:30 PM |
| 16 | April 10 | Friday | Rajasthan Royals | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
