The Indian Premier League returns for its nineteenth season from late March 2026, running through the third week of May. Star Sports holds the television rights through 2027 and JioHotstar holds streaming — the merged Reliance + Disney property that replaced Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema after the 2025 consolidation. Every one of the 74 league matches plus the four-game playoff is carried across both, with synchronous regional-language feeds on Star Sports Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bangla and Marathi.
This page covers the legal route in every major market, the JioHotstar pricing tiers in INR, and the full pan-region rights matrix for the season.
Where to watch in India legally
Television — Star Sports network. Star Sports 1 carries the English feed, Star Sports 1 Hindi carries the Hindi commentary, and Star Sports 2 carries the simulcast plus pre- and post-match wraps. Five regional-language channels carry their own commentary on the same match. Available on Tata Play, Dish TV, Airtel Xstream and JioTV-bundled DTH packs from roughly ₹350 a month for the sports-inclusive base pack.
Streaming — JioHotstar. The merged Reliance + Disney service launched in 2025 and is now the only legal streaming destination for IPL in India. Pricing tiers:
- Mobile (ad-tier): free for most Jio cellular subscribers, otherwise ₹149 a month
- JioHotstar Premium: ₹299 a month or ₹999 a year — ad-light, tablet/web/TV, two-screen
- JioHotstar Super: ₹499 a month or ₹1,499 a year — 4K, four-screen, full sports + entertainment
Free legal coverage — none for IPL 2026. Doordarshan does not carry IPL under the Sports Broadcasting Signals Act because it is not a national-team or ICC event. The closest thing to a free route is the Jio mobile ad-tier.
Pan-region availability
| Market | Television | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| India | Star Sports 1 / Hindi / regional | JioHotstar |
| Pakistan | Not licensed (PEMRA blackout) | Not licensed |
| United Kingdom | Sky Sports Cricket | Sky Go / Now TV Sports |
| Australia | Fox Cricket | Kayo Sports |
| United States | Willow TV | Willow by Cricbuzz |
| South Africa | SuperSport | SuperSport app / DStv Stream |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport NZ | Sky Sport Now |
Series schedule
Cricket schedule — legal broadcasters by country
Pan-region rights split. Times and channels confirmed against official broadcaster releases; tour windows may shift — check the rights-holder app for kick-off the day of play.
| Series | Format | Window | Teams | India (legal) | Pakistan (legal) | UK (legal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICC Champions Trophy 2026 | ODI | Feb 2026 | 8 nations (TBC host: Pakistan) | Star Sports / JioHotstar | PTV Sports / Tapmad TV | Sky Sports Cricket |
| IPL 2026 | T20 league | Mar–May 2026 | 10 franchises | Star Sports + JioHotstar | Not licensed (PEMRA blackout) | Sky Sports Cricket |
| PSL 2026 | T20 league | Apr–May 2026 | 6 franchises | Sony Sports (subject to confirmation) | PTV Sports / Tapmad TV / A Sports | Sky Sports / Willow TV |
| Indian Premier League final & playoffs | T20 knockout | May 2026 | Top-4 IPL | Star Sports + JioHotstar | Not licensed | Sky Sports Cricket |
| England tour of India | Tests + ODIs + T20Is | Jan–Feb 2026 | India vs England | Star Sports + JioHotstar | PTV / Ten Sports | Sky Sports Cricket / TNT Sports |
| Australia vs India ODI series | ODI | Oct–Nov 2026 (tentative) | India vs Australia | Sony Sports / JioHotstar | Ten Sports | Sky Sports Cricket |
| ICC T20 World Cup 2026 | T20 World Cup | Feb–Mar 2026 (India + Sri Lanka hosts) | 20 nations | Star Sports + JioHotstar + DD Sports (selected) | PTV / A Sports | Sky Sports Cricket |
| BBL 2025/26 finals | T20 league knockout | Feb 2026 | Top-5 BBL | Sony Sports | Sony Sports (selected) | BT Sport / TNT Sports |
| The Hundred 2026 | 100-ball league | Aug 2026 | 8 franchises | Sony Sports (TBC) | TBC | Sky Sports + BBC (selected) |
| CPL 2026 | T20 league | Aug–Sep 2026 | 6 franchises | FanCode / Star Sports | Tapmad TV | Sky Sports / FanCode |
| ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 | T20 World Cup (Women) | Jun 2026 (England host) | 10 nations | Star Sports / JioHotstar | PTV | Sky Sports + BBC |
| Asia Cup 2026 | T20 / ODI (TBC) | Sep 2026 | 6 nations | Star Sports / JioHotstar | PTV / A Sports | Sky Sports |
| WTC 2025–27 cycle: India tests | Test | Through Jun 2027 | India + opponents | Star Sports + JioHotstar | Ten Sports | Sky Sports Cricket |
| Sri Lanka tour of Australia | ODI + T20I | Feb 2026 | Sri Lanka vs Australia | FanCode | Tapmad TV | Sky Sports (selected) |
| Pakistan vs Bangladesh ODI series | ODI | Apr 2026 | Pakistan vs Bangladesh | Ten Sports | PTV Sports / A Sports | Sky Sports (selected) |
Smartcric Guide is editorial only — we do not host, embed or link to unauthorised streams. Match access is via the licensed broadcaster apps listed above.
How to watch legally
- In India, pick the surface that fits your screen. Phone-only viewers should activate the JioHotstar ad-tier through their Jio MyJio app — no extra payment for most plans. Tablet, web or TV viewers need a Premium subscription; pay the annual rate during festival sales (Diwali, IPL launch week) for the best price.
- Outside India, subscribe to the local rights-holder. UK viewers should use Sky Sports Cricket or a Now TV Sports day-pass for one-off matches. Australian viewers get Fox Cricket via Kayo Sports — Kayo’s monthly basic plan is the cheapest legal route. US viewers need Willow TV, available via most major US cable providers and as a stand-alone Willow by Cricbuzz subscription.
- Do not use VPN-to-bypass tactics. Both JioHotstar and Sky Sports enforce geo-checks and rights-holders increasingly run takedown action against VPN-routed viewers. The licensed local broadcaster is always the safer route.
Smartcric Guide does not host, embed or link to any unauthorised IPL feed. Copyright complaints: [email protected].