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Franchise leagues around the world are updating their calendars to fit within the window of a mega tournament for the second consecutive year. The T20 World Cup is causing the leagues to change their schedules for the 2018 season, just as the organizers of the ILT20, SA20, and Pakistan Super League (PSL) moved or postponed their dates this year in anticipation of the Champions Trophy.
When will T20 World Cup 2026 start?
As per a Cricbuzz report, the leagues have been informed that the 2026 ICC tournament window will run from the second week of February to the first week of March. Schedules for 2026 are therefore being planned according to that timeframe. According to information provided to the leagues, the biennial event in India and Sri Lanka may tentatively begin on February 10. However, the date of the final has not yet been specified. It is reasonable to assume that the 2026 World Cup might take place from February 10 to March 8 (Sunday), given that the previous T20 World Cup ended in 30 days (from June 1 to 29, 2024).
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The upcoming season window, which runs from December 26 to January 26, has already been confirmed by SA20. During this time, there will be no international cricket matches. Even Centurion's yearly Boxing Day Test match has been eliminated. Although the ILT20 has not yet confirmed its schedule, it is believed that the league will begin on January 4 and go until February 1, which is nine days ahead of when the ICC event is expected to begin.
The dates of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) will also be impacted by the ICC schedule. The final is tomorrow, Friday, February 7, and this year it began on December 30. For the upcoming season, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) cannot have a comparable duration. In any event, BCB intends to rearrange the dates to avoid conflict with ILT20.
"Look, if we want good foreign cricketers to take part in BPL we cannot fight with ILT20. We need to play BPL in such a time that it is not clashing with ILT20," BCB president Faruque Ahmed told Cricbuzz.
More importantly, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) would suffer greatly for the second consecutive year due to its scheduling conflict with the Indian Premier League (IPL). The league is scheduled for April–May 2026 by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
This year, the PSL will take place in the midst of the IPL, from April 8 to May 19. The PCB is eager to avoid holding the league during the holy month of Ramadan, thus the dates for the upcoming season will also fall around that time. This implies that the best players in international cricket will not play in the PSL for the second consecutive year. It is unlikely that Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) will be exempt from this shift. The internationals' ability to play in the BBL, which is typically played in December and January, may be restricted by early windows for SA20 and ILT20.