- The Indian Premier League playoffs begin on Tuesday, with RCB playing GT.
- SRH then play RR on Wednesday in the eliminator to see who makes it to qualifier 2.
- In this article, we look at just how the playoffs work.
The Indian Premier League is at the business end of the 2026 season, with the league stage coming to a close on Sunday. The playoffs will be played over the coming week, with the winners crowned next Sunday (May 31).
Early in its history, the IPL’s playoff phase was a simple knockout with two semi-finals and a final. However in 2011, this was then replaced by the playoff system we see now.
In 2009, it was the fourth-placed Deccan Chargers that won the title. Then in 2010, Chennai Super Kings won the final after finishing third in the league phase. The current system rewards the top two teams in the playoff phase, allowing them a second chance in the knockouts.
Indian Premier League qualifier 1
The top two teams in the IPL league phase now play qualifier 1. The winner advances straight into the final, while the loser then needs to play qualifier 2. This year, we will see first-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on second-placed Gujarat Titans in qualifier 1.
In the 15 years of the current format’s existence, the winner of qualifier 1 has gone on to win the final 12 times, including each of the last eight seasons. In fact, the champions have played qualifier 1 on 14 out of the 15 years that we’ve had this format. This indicates just how important playing and winning the first game can be.
The Eliminator
The third and fourth placed teams in the IPL league phase then play the eliminator. The winner of this match goes into qualifier 2 and the loser is eliminated from the competition.
This year, we will see the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Rajasthan Royals fight it out for a place in qualifier 2. Incidentally, SRH are the only team to ever win the title after playing in the eliminator.
Qualifier 2
The loser of qualifier 1 and the winner of the eliminator lock horns in qualifier 2 for a place in the final. Only three times have the winners of qualifier 2 gone on to win the final as well. SRH in 2016 and MI in 2013 and 2017.
In 2016, The Sunrisers beat Kolkata Knight Riders in the eliminator. They then beat Gujarat Lions in qualifier 2 and RCB in the final. MI lost to CSK and Rising Pune Supergiant respectively before beating them in the final in 2013 and 2017. They beat RR and KKR in qualifier 2 in 2013 and 2017 respectively.
The team winning qualifier 2 this year will want to put an end to this streak in 2026.
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