IPL 2026 starts tomorrow with no opening ceremony as BCCI honours stampede victims
When RCB and Sunrisers Hyderabad walk out at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday evening, 11 seats in the ground will be empty. Not because tickets went unsold, but because those seats have been permanently reserved for the fans who never came home from the last IPL.
A season that begins in silence
The BCCI has cancelled the IPL 2026 opening ceremony entirely. There will be no Bollywood performances, no fireworks, no musical acts. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the decision, saying there would be "no formal function or cultural and entertainment shows" ahead of the first match. A memorial plaque near the inner entrance of Chinnaswamy will also be unveiled.
The stampede on June 4, 2025 killed 11 people during celebrations after RCB's maiden title win. The tragedy led the Karnataka government to temporarily ban matches at the venue, and it took months of safety upgrades and inspections before Chinnaswamy was cleared to host cricket again. RCB will play five of their seven home matches in Bengaluru this season, with the other two moving to Raipur.
RCB face pace bowling headache
The defending champions have problems beyond the emotion of the occasion. Josh Hazlewood has joined the squad but is still working his way back from injury and looks unlikely to feature in the opener. Nuwan Thushara is out for the season after Sri Lanka Cricket refused to grant him a No Objection Certificate, citing fitness concerns. Yash Dayal is also unavailable due to personal reasons.
That leaves Rajat Patidar's side leaning on Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the uncapped Mangesh Yadav for pace options against an SRH lineup that includes Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen. The Virat Kohli and Phil Salt opening partnership gives RCB plenty of firepower at the top, but their bowling looks thin.
SRH without Cummins
Sunrisers Hyderabad are dealing with their own absentee. Captain Pat Cummins is recovering from a lumbar stress injury and will miss the opening weeks, with Ishan Kishan stepping in as interim captain. SRH have added Liam Livingstone to their middle order and promoted Abhishek Sharma as vice-captain.
The match gets underway at 7:30 PM IST. The BCCI is planning a grand closing ceremony for the final on May 31 instead.
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