IPL format explained: Everything you need to know

How does the Indian Premier League work? From team selections to the IPL playoffs format, our guide has you covered.

What is IPL cricket?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is an annual T20 cricket tournament that began in 2008. It was founded by then BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi as a result of the popularity boom of the T20 format in India when the national team won the 2007 World T20.

When does the IPL start?

The IPL takes place in March, April and May of every year and lasts approximately seven weeks. The 2025 tournament is the 18th edition of the IPL, and it will take place from 22nd March to 25th May.  It’s being held across thirteen cities in India, with the opening ceremony taking place in Kolkata.

How many teams are in the IPL?

The IPL is a franchise-based competition with ten teams each representing an Indian city. When the tournament was first founded, an auction was held to determine the cities that the teams would be based in, as well as the owners of each team.

In its maiden year, just eight teams participated; with the original 2008 season seeing IPL teams based in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mohali and Mumbai. The Mumbai franchise – named the Mumbai Indians – was the most expensive, with Reliance Industries paying $111.9m to purchase it.

There have been various amendments in subsequent years, and the 2025 IPL will see the below ten teams competing for the top title.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

Home ground: M. A. Chidambaram Stadium

Captain: Ruturaj Gaikwad

Most expensive player: Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja, who were both purchased for 18 crore.

Biggest strength: Ruturaj Gaikwad’s leadership is expected to be one of CSK’s key strengths in the 2025 season.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS

Home ground: Eden Gardens

Captain: Ajinkya Rahane

Most expensive player: Venkatesh Iyer is the team’s most expensive player (23.75 crore).

Biggest strength: Mystery spinner, Varun Chakravarthy, is a force to be reckoned with when he picks up the ball.  

RAJASTHAN ROYALS

Home ground: Sawai Mansingh Stadium

Captain: Sanju Samson

Most expensive player: Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the team’s most expensive players (both sold for 18 crore each).

Biggest strength: The team’s batting order boasts the likes of Samson, Jaiswal, and Parag.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE

Home ground: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium

Captain: Rajat Manohar Patidar

Most expensive player: Batter, Virat Kohli, sold for 21 crore.

Biggest strength:  RCB’s batting has always been one of its biggest strengths. It seems that nothing’s changed for 2025 with Virat Kohli remaining on the team.

PUNJAB KINGS

Home ground: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium (Punjab Cricket Association Stadium)

Captain: Shreyas Iyer

Most expensive player: The team’s most expensive signing is Shreyas Iyer (26.75 crore) followed by Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal (18 crore).

Biggest strength: PBKS’ lineup features some strong batters including Shashank Singh.

MUMBAI INDIANS

Home ground: Wankhede Stadium

Captain: Hardik Pandya

Most expensive player: The team’s most expensive new signing is Jasprit Bumrah (18 crore) followed by all-rounder Hardik Pandya (16.35 crore).

Biggest strength: With Hardik, Rohit, Suryakumar and Bumrah, the team has an experienced core lineup for 2025.

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD

Home ground: Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium

Captain: Pat Cummins

Most expensive player: In the 2025 squad, Heinrich Klaasen is the most expensive player (23 crore).

Biggest strength: With a formidable batting lineup, many are backing Sunrisers Hyderabad to make the 2025 playoffs.

GUJARAT TITANS

Home ground: Narendra Modi Stadium

Captain: Shubman Gill

Most expensive player: Bowler Rashid Khan (18 crore) followed by batter Shubman Gill (16.50 crore).

Biggest strength: With various all-rounders in the 2025 squad, Gujarat Titans stand as one of the most balanced sides.

DELHI CAPITALS

Home ground: Arun Jaitley Stadium

Captain: Axar Patel

Most expensive player: Their most expensive new signing for the 2025 squad is captain and bowler Axar Patel (16.50 crore).

Biggest strength: A top batting order of Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, and KL Rahul should do some damage.

LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS

Home ground: Ekana Cricket Stadium

Captain: Rishabh Pant

Most expensive player: The Lucknow Super Giants acquired Rishabh Pant for 27 crore in the 2025 auction, making him the most expensive player in IPL history.

Biggest strength: With the likes of Pant and Markram, LSG also boast a strong batting line-up for the 2025 tournament.

How are IPL teams and players selected?

IPL franchises acquire players via an annual player auction, trading players in specific windows, and signing players who are not picked up in the auction. If you’re wondering how IPL players are selected, the majority of these signings occur at auction, where players set themselves a base price and join the franchise that ultimately bids most for them.

At the end of each IPL season, the franchise must decide whether to renew each player’s contract or release them. Squads must consist of 19-25 players, with a maximum of eight overseas players – though, a playing XI must not include any more than four overseas players.

Find out more with our guide on how the IPL auction works.

What is the IPL format?

Next, let’s take a look at the Indian Premier League format. If you’re wondering how the IPL work, the majority of the tournament follows a simple structure: each of the eight teams play each other home and away, with two points earned for a win, one point for a tie or no result, and none for a defeat.

At the end of that double round-robin process, the bottom four teams in the table are eliminated and the top four teams progress to the playoffs.

This is where things get a little more complicated. The teams that finished first and second in the league table will play each other in Qualifier 1. The winner of that match will progress to the final, but the loser is not yet eliminated. Meanwhile, the teams that finished third and fourth in the league table will play each other in the eliminator.

The loser of the eliminator is knocked out, while the winner of the eliminator earns the right to play the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2. The winner of Qualifier 2 plays the winner of Qualifier 1 in the final, where the winner of the tournament is crowned.

IPL new rules for 2025

A rule change for the 2025 tournament means that the league will follow the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Code of Conduct. In previous years, the IPL had used its own Code of Conduct.

Who is the most expensive player?

Ahead of the 2025 IPL season, Rishabh Pant, signed by the Lucknow Super Giants for a staggering 27 crores, became the most expensive Indian Premier League signing of all time. Previously, Virat Kholi was the most expensive Indian in IPL history, with his 2018 contract renewal costing the Royal Challengers Bangalore 17 crores.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Pat Cummins became the most expensive overseas player of all time in the 2020 auction, costing Kolkata Knight Riders 15.5 crores ($2.1m).

Who are the previous winners?

The Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians share the title for most IPL wins, with 5 apiece – including the Indians winning four titles in six years between 2015-2020. Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Royals won the first edition of the IPL in 2008, but have not lifted the trophy since.

The now-defunct Deccan Chargers claimed the title in the format’s second season, 2009, with the Sunrisers – who replaced the Chargers as Hyderabad’s franchise in 2012 – enjoying success in 2016. The Kolkata Knight Riders, meanwhile, were crowned champions in 2012 and 2014.

Most recently in 2024, the Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL tournament again, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in a thrilling final match.

A breakdown of the teams who’ve enjoyed IPL success, and their winning years, can be seen below: 

Visit Betway’s IPL betting page.