The **Indian Premier League (IPL)** is a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league established by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It features 10 franchise teams competing in a round-robin and playoff format based on the standard MCC Laws of Cricket, adapted for limited-overs T20 play.
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1. Tournament Format
The IPL uses a hybrid league-and-playoff system designed to balance home-and-away fixtures across a 10-team structure.
### Group Phase & Round-Robin (14 Matches per Team)
* **Team Grouping:** The 10 teams are split into two virtual groups (Group A and Group B) of 5 teams each, determined by seeding based on previous performance.
* **Match Allocation:**
* Each team plays the 4 other teams in their own group **twice** (home and away = 8 matches).
* Each team plays the 5 teams in the opposite group **once** (4 home, 1 away or vice versa = 5 matches).
* Each team plays 1 designated team from the opposite group a **second time** (1 match).
* **Total League Matches:** 70 group-stage matches (14 per team).
### The Page Playoff System
The top four teams in the points table advance to the Playoff stage. The IPL uses the Page Playoff system to reward the top two teams with a second chance at reaching the final:
```
[ League Points Table ]
│
├── Top 2 (1st & 2nd) ──────► Qualifier 1 ───► Winner ───┐
│ │ │
│ Loser │
│ │ │
│ ▼ ▼
└── Top 4 (3rd & 4th) ──────► Eliminator ───► Winner ──► Qualifier 2 ──► Winner ──► FINAL
│ │
Loser (Out) Loser (Out)
```
1. **Qualifier 1:** Ranked #1 vs. Ranked #2. The winner advances directly to the **Final**. The loser moves to **Qualifier 2**.
2. **Eliminator:** Ranked #3 vs. Ranked #4. The winner advances to **Qualifier 2**. The loser is eliminated.
3. **Qualifier 2:** Loser of Qualifier 1 vs. Winner of Eliminator. The winner advances to the **Final**.
4. **Final:** Winner of Qualifier 1 vs. Winner of Qualifier 2 to determine the IPL Champion.
---
2. Points & Table Standings
| Outcome | Points Awarded |
| --- | --- |
| **Win** | **2 Points** |
| **No Result / Abandoned** | **1 Point** each |
| **Loss** | **0 Points** |
### Tie-Breakers for Table Position:
If teams finish equal on points at the end of the group stage, placement is determined by:
1. **Total Number of Wins**
2. **Net Run Rate (NRR):** Calculated as $\left(\frac{\text{Total Runs Scored}}{\text{Total Overs Faced}}\right) - \left(\frac{\text{Total Runs Conceded}}{\text{Total Overs Bowled}}\right)$
3. **Head-to-Head Record** between tied teams
4. **Random Draw** (if all else is identical)
---
3. Key Match Playing Conditions & Rules
### Match Structure & Timing
* **Over Limit:** Maximum of 20 overs per innings (120 legal deliveries).
* **Powerplay:** The first **6 overs** of each innings constitute the Fielding Powerplay (maximum of 2 fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle).
* **Strategic Timeouts:** Two mandatory 2.5-minute timeouts per innings (one taken by the bowling team between overs 6–9, one by the batting team between overs 13–16).
### Squad & Team Composition Rules
* **Playing XI:** 11 players enter the field, with a maximum of **4 overseas (foreign) players** permitted in the playing XI at any point.
* **Squad Size:** Teams can maintain a roster of 18 to 25 players.
---
4. Modern Tactical Inventions in IPL
### The Impact Player Rule
Teams name 5 substitutes alongside their playing XI at the toss. During the match, a team can replace one starting player with an **Impact Player**:
* Can be introduced before an innings starts, at the fall of a wicket, or at an over boundary.
* The substitute can bowl their full quota of 4 overs and/or bat, regardless of what the replaced player had already done.
* An overseas Impact Player can only be brought on if fewer than 4 overseas players were included in the original playing XI.
### Decision Review System (DRS) & Wides/No-Balls
* **DRS Quota:** Each team gets **2 unsuccessful reviews per innings**.
* **Reviewing Wide & No-Ball Calls:** Teams are permitted to use DRS to challenge on-field calls (or non-calls) for **Wides** and **Height No-Balls**, extending video review beyond traditional dismissal checks.
### Super Over (Tie Resolution)
If a match ends in a tied score, the outcome is decided by a **Super Over** (1 over per side). If the Super Over is also tied, subsequent Super Overs are played until a clear winner emerges.