IPL Format: Groups, Points Table and Playoffs Explained

The IPL format is ten teams in two groups of five, each team playing fourteen league matches, then a four-match playoff ending in the final. It is not a full double round-robin: a team plays the four sides in its own group once and the five sides in the other group twice, home and away, which is how 70 league matches fit into nine weeks. This guide sets out the groups, the points table and its tie-breakers, the playoff structure, and the two things most often got wrong about it.

The Groups

Since the expansion to ten teams in 2022 the league has used two seeded groups. For 2026 they were:

• Group A: Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings.
• Group B: Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants.

Seeding is by titles and finals reached. Each team plays its four group rivals once and the other group's five teams twice, for fourteen matches. In 2025 the pattern was slightly different, with each team playing only four of the other group twice, but the total of fourteen per team and 70 overall was the same. The groups decide only who plays whom how often; the points table is a single table of ten.

The Points Table

Two points for a win, one each for a no result or abandoned match, none for a loss. A tied match is settled by a Super Over, so there are no shared points for ties. Teams level on points are separated first by net run rate, the difference between the runs per over a team has scored and conceded across the season. There is no bonus point for a large win or a fast chase; the claim that there is appears in older guides and is wrong.

The Playoffs

1. Qualifier 1: first plays second. The winner goes straight to the final.
2. Eliminator: third plays fourth. The loser is out.
3. Qualifier 2: the loser of Qualifier 1 plays the winner of the Eliminator. The winner reaches the final.
4. Final.

The structure gives the top two sides a second chance and the third and fourth none, which is why finishing in the top two matters more than the two-point gap suggests. In 2026 the playoffs ran from 26 to 31 May, with the final in Ahmedabad; RCB won Qualifier 1 and then the final against Gujarat Titans to retain the title.

Playing Conditions in Brief

Twenty overs a side, four overs a bowler, four overseas players in the eleven, a powerplay of six overs with two fielders outside the circle, two strategic time-outs of two and a half minutes per innings, and the Impact Player rule, which lets each side substitute one named player during the match and is in the regulations through the 2027 season, though the BCCI is reviewing it. The detail is in our guide to the rules of the IPL.

Two Things Often Got Wrong

• "Every team plays every other team twice." That was true with eight teams, when fourteen matches covered seven opponents home and away. With ten teams it would need eighteen matches each. The groups exist to keep the league at fourteen.
• "Bonus points for net run rate." There are none. Net run rate is a tie-breaker only.

What Might Change

The BCCI has confirmed 74 matches for 2027 and floated a 94-match season, with eighteen league games per team, for 2028. Whether the Impact Player survives into 2027 was undecided as of mid-October 2026. The season calendar itself is covered in our guide to when the IPL season starts.

FAQs: IPL Format

How many matches does each IPL team play? Fourteen in the league stage: the four teams in its group once and the five in the other group twice.

How many teams are in the IPL? Ten, since Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants joined in 2022.

How do the IPL playoffs work? First plays second for a place in the final; third plays fourth to stay in; the losers and winners of those two meet in Qualifier 2 for the other final place.

How many matches are in the IPL? 74: 70 in the league stage and four playoffs. A 94-match format has been floated for 2028.

Does the IPL use net run rate? Yes, as the first tie-breaker between teams level on points. It does not award bonus points.

Sources

The 2026 groups, match structure, points system and playoff format are set out by Rajasthan Royals, 27 May 2026. The 2027 match count and 2028 expansion proposal are reported from the BCCI secretary by Yahoo Sport, 18 June 2026. The Impact Player review is reported by Republic World, 31 August 2026.