Indian Premier League (IPL): Format, History and Key Facts

The Indian Premier League, known as the IPL, is the most commercially successful Twenty20 franchise competition in cricket. Played every year in India, usually in the March to May window, it brings together leading Indian players and international stars in a city-based league organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

How it began

The league was launched in 2008, driven by the BCCI and its then vice-president Lalit Modi, and followed the success of the first T20 World Cup in 2007. Eight franchises representing Indian cities were sold to businesses, film personalities and media groups. The first season was won by Rajasthan Royals, who beat Chennai Super Kings in the final. The tournament quickly gained a huge television audience and changed the economics of the game.

Format and rules

Each match is a Twenty20 game with twenty overs per side. In the league stage the teams play each other home and away in a points table, and from 2022, when the league expanded to ten teams, the schedule has had seventy-four matches in a season. The top four teams qualify for the playoffs, which consist of Qualifier 1, an Eliminator, Qualifier 2 and the Final, a structure that gives the top two teams a second chance. Since 2023 the competition has used the Impact Player rule, which allows a team to substitute one player during a match.

Teams

The ten current franchises are Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Gujarat and Lucknow joined in 2022. Earlier editions included Deccan Chargers, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Pune Warriors India, Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiant, which no longer take part.

Auctions and contracts

Players are signed through an annual auction in which franchises bid for them within a salary purse, with a retention system between seasons. Overseas players can be signed alongside Indian players, and a limit is placed on the number of overseas players in the playing eleven. This model has made the IPL a major destination for international cricketers and a key place for young Indian talent to emerge.

Controversies and milestones

In 2015 Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended for two seasons following a betting and spot-fixing inquiry, and they returned in 2018. The league was also disrupted in 2020, when the season was played in the United Arab Emirates because of the pandemic, and in 2021, when it was suspended midway and completed later in the UAE. As of the end of 2024, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians had each won the title five times.

Importance

The IPL has had a wide effect on world cricket, with other countries starting their own franchise tournaments and many players choosing to prioritise franchise cricket. The league is also known for its media-rights deals, which are among the most valuable in world sport.