The race to the IPL 2026 playoffs is officially over, with the tournament's final four teams now locked in. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans had earlier punched their tickets to the next stage, leaving one position still up for grabs. Rajasthan Royals claimed the final qualification spot by defeating the Mumbai Indians in their last league match on Sunday.
Riyan Parag's side wrapped up the season with 16 points in 14 outings, enough to finish ahead of Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in the race for the last available playoff place.
At the top of the table, RCB, GT and SRH were level on 18 points each. However, the defending champions secured first place courtesy of their stronger Net Run Rate, with Gujarat settling for second and Hyderabad missing out on the top two by the slimmest of margins.
With Rajasthan Royals securing qualification, this season's IPL final is guaranteed to produce a franchise's second title triumph. The final is scheduled for May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
All four qualified teams have previously lifted the trophy once. RCB head into the playoffs as defending champions after winning their first IPL crown last year and are now looking to emulate Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians by retaining the title. Gujarat Titans had earlier won the league in 2022 with Hardik Pandya leading the side.
SRH lifted the IPL trophy in 2016 after defeating RCB in the title clash. Rajasthan Royals had won the very first edition of the competition back in 2008.
Under IPL playoff rules, the top two sides in the points table face off in Qualifier 1, where the victorious team earns an automatic berth in the final. The losing team, however, remains in contention and progresses to Qualifier 2.
Meanwhile, the teams placed third and fourth battle it out in the Eliminator. The winner moves into Qualifier 2, while the losing side is knocked out. The final will feature the winners of the two qualifying matches.
IPL 2026 Playoffs: Schedule
| Date | Match | Teams | Time | Venue |
| May 26 | Qualifier 1 | RCB vs GT | 7:30 p.m. | Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamshala |
| May 27 | Eliminator | SRH vs RR | 7:30 p.m. | New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh |
| May 29 | Qualifier 2 | TBD vs TBD | 7:30 p.m. | New International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh |
| May 31 | Final | TBD vs TBD | 7:30 p.m. | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad |
IPL 2026 Playoffs: Live Telecast
The IPL 2026 Playoffs will be telecast on the Star Sports Network.
IPL 2026 Playoffs: Live Streaming
Fans can watch the live stream of IPL 2026 playoffs on the JioHotstar app and website.
IPL 2026 Playoffs: Squads
RCB: Rajat Patidar (C), Tim David, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Nuwan Thushara, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik Deswal
SRH: Pat Cummins (C), Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Smaran Ravichandran, Aniket Verma, Abhishek Sharma, Brydon Carse, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel, Zeeshan Ansari, Salil Arora, Praful Hinge, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, David Payne, Amit Kumar, Sakib Hussain, Eshan Malinga, Krains Fuletra
GT: Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Manav Suthar, Rahul Tewatia, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Kulwant Khejroliya, Kumar Kushagra, Ishant Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Jayant Yadav, Luke Wood, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Ashok Sharma, Connor Esterhuizen, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore
RR: Riyan Parag (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Sandeep Sharma, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen, Dasun Shanaka, Shubham Dubey, Ravi Singh, Brijesh Sharma
WATCH | Arjun Tendulkar Takes First Wicket In IPL 2026 For LSG Vs PBKS
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.