Will Ongoing War in Middle East Impact IPL 2026?

IPL 2026: The cash-rich Indian Premier League is less than three weeks away. With such little time left to go for the much-awaited event, the question is - will the ongoing middle-east crisis impact the tournament? For the unversed, flight operations and air travel has become a big problem from the middle-eastern countries. 

That is surely somethings cricketing boards will take into account before issuing the No Objection Certificate (NOC), nobody wants to risk the safety of their cricketers. Most overseas players rely upon transit hubs in the Gulf for international travel and that is where the problem is. 

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Franchises in a Fix?

There is no doubt that the franchises find themselves in a spot in the current scenario. With flights being cancelled or delayed, how will the overseas players and the support staff make it to India? Up until now, there is no official confirmation from the BCCI regarding the delay in IPL 2026. This means the tournament is still on schedule. The franchises and their owners are well-aware of the rising unrest in the middle-east and would be in touch with the Board of Control of Cricket in India to get a clearer picture. 

The problem is most flights coming to India from countries such as England, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand have a transit hub in the UAE.

ALSO READ: West Indies Cricket Team Stranded In Kolkata After Middle East Tensions Create Travel Turmoil

IPL Schedule

The much-awaited schedule for the upcoming season of the IPL is yet to be revealed. An ESPNCricinfo report claims the tournament will start on March 28. The same ESPNcricinfo report also said that there are still lingering doubts over where the first match of the season will take place due to the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. For the unversed, the official schedule is also yet to be announced.