The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional T20 competition that has become one of the biggest sporting events in the world. Every season it fills stadiums across India and attracts many of the best players on the planet. Here is how the tournament actually works.
The teams
Since 2022 the IPL has had ten franchises, each representing a city or region. Teams are owned privately and build their squads through retention, trades and the player auction. Every squad is a mix of Indian players and a limited number of overseas players, and only four overseas players can appear in a playing XI.
The player auction
The auction is one of the most talked-about parts of the IPL calendar. Each franchise has a fixed budget, called the purse, and bids for players in a live auction. Players register with a base price, and teams raise their bids until only one remains.
A major auction is held every few years, when teams can retain only a small number of players and rebuild. In between, smaller mini-auctions let teams fill gaps in their squads.
The league stage
In the league stage each team plays 14 matches, a mix of home and away games. A win is worth two points. When teams finish level on points, net run rate (a measure of how quickly a team scores compared with its opponents) usually separates them.
The playoffs
The top four teams reach the playoffs, and the format gives an advantage to the top two:
- Qualifier 1: 1st vs 2nd. The winner goes straight to the final.
- Eliminator: 3rd vs 4th. The loser is knocked out.
- Qualifier 2: loser of Qualifier 1 vs winner of the Eliminator.
- Final: winner of Qualifier 1 vs winner of Qualifier 2.
This system means a strong league campaign is rewarded with a second chance to reach the final.
Rules that make the IPL different
The IPL follows standard T20 laws, with a few tournament-specific features. The best known is the Impact Player rule, introduced in 2023, which lets each team replace one player from its XI during the match. Teams also have a strategic time-out in each innings, and the decision review system (DRS) is used in every match.
How to follow a season
- Check the official fixture list at the start of the season, because double-header days are common on weekends.
- Keep an eye on the points table and net run rate in the final weeks.
- Follow team news before each match, as squads rotate often in a long tournament.
Whether you support a franchise from your home city or simply enjoy watching the best players in the world, the IPL is the easiest way to fall in love with T20 cricket.
