Groups, Double-Headers and the Road to the Final: How the IPL Schedule Works
Why each team plays some sides twice and others once, how 74 matches fit into about ten weeks, and how the playoffs decide the champion.
An IPL season packs 74 matches into roughly ten weeks. With ten teams, not everyone can play everyone else home and away, so the league uses a system of groups to decide who plays whom. Here is how the schedule fits together.
Two groups of five
Before each season, the ten teams are split into two groups of five for scheduling purposes. The split is based on a ranking of past titles and finals, and it only affects the fixtures. There is still one league table.
Each team plays:
- the other four teams in its own group twice, home and away (8 matches),
- one team from the other group twice, the team in the matching position in that group (2 matches),
- the other four teams in the other group once (4 matches).
That makes 14 matches for each team, seven at home and seven away, and 70 league matches in all. It is why some pairs of teams meet twice in a season and others only once.
How the format has changed
With eight teams, the IPL used a simple double round-robin: every team played every other team twice. The league has also had nine and ten teams before, and adjusted the format each time.
| Seasons | Teams | League matches per team | Total matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 to 2010 | 8 | 14 | 59 to 60 |
| 2011 | 10 | 14 | 74 |
| 2012 and 2013 | 9 | 16 | 76 |
| 2014 to 2021 | 8 | 14 | 60 |
| 2022 to 2025 | 10 | 14 | 74 |
Double-headers
Most IPL days have one match, which starts at 7:30 pm Indian time. On many weekends there are two. The first starts at 3:30 pm and the second at 7:30 pm, so fans can watch both. Afternoon matches often go differently, as there is no dew and the pitch is hotter and drier, which can help spin bowlers.
Home grounds and neutral venues
In a normal season, each team plays its home matches at its own ground, with a few sides also using a second venue. Rajasthan Royals, for example, play some home games in Guwahati, and Punjab Kings in Dharamsala.
Some seasons have not been normal. In 2020, the whole season was played in the UAE, and in 2021 it started in India and was finished in the UAE. In 2022, during the pandemic, the league stage was played at just four grounds in and around Mumbai and Pune: the Wankhede, the Brabourne, the DY Patil Stadium and the MCA Stadium in Pune. The playoffs then moved to Kolkata and Ahmedabad.
The playoffs
After 70 league matches, the top four teams reach the playoffs. The top two teams play Qualifier 1, and the winner goes straight to the final. The third and fourth teams play the Eliminator, and the loser goes home. The loser of Qualifier 1 then plays the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2, and the winner of that match takes the other place in the final.
Finishing in the top two is worth a lot, because it gives a team two chances to reach the final. This format has been used since 2011. Before that, the top four played semi-finals.
The 2025 season
The 2025 season began on 22 March. In May it was paused for a week because of military tensions between India and Pakistan, and it resumed on 17 May with some matches moved to other grounds. The final was played on 3 June in Ahmedabad, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings by six runs to win their first title.
Stats in this story are correct to the end of the 2025 IPL season.
