IPL 2026: Google's interactive doodle celebrates start of Indian Premier League as RCB, SRH face off on Saturday
IPL 2026: Google's interactive doodle is celebrating the start of Indian Premier League as RCB and SRH prepare for fac eoff during the tournament's opener.
Google released an interactive doodle today, March 28, to mark the beginning of IPL 2026 — one of the most awaited and celebrated cricket tournaments of the season. The 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will kick-off today.
The description along with the doodle states, “This Doodle marks the start of the 2026 Indian Premier League T20 cricket season. Over the next two months, 10 teams will compete across India to crown a new champion. Good luck to all the teams!”
Google secures partnership with BCCI for IPL 2026
This animated doodle depicts mini cricket field with a bat and a ball. The search engine's dedicated portal will open when one clicks on the artwork, offering deeper insights and real-time analysis to viewers.
It is important to note that Google has secured a partnership with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for IPL 2026. This collaboration with Google promises more engaging and insightful viewing experience for cricket fans through AI technology. Google Search will enhance fan engagement by provide real-time insights and an interactive cricket experience.
Moving beyond conventional live scores and standard commentary, Google's dedicated search portal will provide real-time match updates, and comprehensive tournament statistics for the 10 competing franchises. in a category-exclusive deal with JioStar, Google is the co-presenting sponsor for IPL 2026 across television and digital broadcast.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. The final match scheduled for 31 May 2026 will also be held at the same venue. This year, IPL 2026 will have a total of 84 matches instead of 74, including knockouts, making it the biggest season so far. The day matches will start at 3:30 PM IST, while the evening games commence at 7:30 PM IST.
Last year, RCB claimed the coveted title for the first time by defeating Punjab Kings.
Sunrisers Hyderabad team: Pat Cummins (captain), Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aniket Verma, R. Smaran, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Harshal Patel, Brydon Carse, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Zeeshan Ansari, Shivang Kumar, Salil Arora, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Krains Fuletra, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Jack Edwards.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru team: Rajat Patidar (captain), Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Abhinandan Singh, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Satvik Deswal, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan.
Social media reaction to doodle
Reacting to the doodle, a user wrote, “@Google doodle of today is dedicated to IPL.”
Another comment read, “Like how IPL comes in Google Doodle, will PSL also come like that?”
About the Author
Fareha Naaz is a Delhi-based journalist and Content Producer at LiveMint, where she has built nearly three years of experience in digital journalism. She covers a diverse range of topics, including national news, education, entertainment, lifestyle trends science, global health and international news.<br><br> With a background in Economics and Education, she focuses on providing insightful, thoroughly researched coverage that bridges the gap between breaking news and in-depth analysis. In addition to breaking copies, legal and political news, her reporting blends editorial rigour with search-driven storytelling. With a keen eye-on-global events, she provides insightful coverage on latest developments. Her reporting combines editorial rigour with in-depth coverage and search-driven storytelling provide valuable insight and context to readers, ensuring accuracy and relevance.<br><br> Her newsroom experience helped her in combining her critical thinking skills with real-time editorial decision-making. Over the years, she has been presenting complex stories with clarity for a digital-first audience amid fast-paced news cycles. Her thoroughly researched stories, with well-structured and engaging content, provide readers with clear understanding of the context and background.<br><br> Fareha holds a Master’s degree in Economics, in addition to a Bachelor of Education degree.<br><br> When not in the newsroom, she enjoys painting and sports, reading books and current developments.
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