Check out the complete schedule of IPL 2026 playoffs

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule and venues for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 playoffs on Wednesday, May 6. Following the 70 league matches, the top four teams will qualify for the playoffs. IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 is scheduled to be played at the Dharamshala Stadium on May 26. Subsequently, the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 will be held at the new International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on May 27 and May 29, respectively. Meanwhile, the hosting rights for the IPL 2026 Final have been entrusted to the world's largest cricket stadium—the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium—where the match will take place on May 31.

According to the IPL 2026 playoff regulations, Qualifier 1—contested between the top two teams on the points table—will be played on Tuesday, May 26, at the beautiful stadium in Dharamshala. The winner of this match will qualify directly for the final. Following this, the Eliminator match will be played on May 27 between the teams ranked 3rd and 4th. The winner of this match will face the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2 on May 29. Finally, the winner of Qualifier 2 will face the winner of Qualifier 1 in the grand finale on May 31.

🚨 News 🚨

BCCI Announces #TATAIPL 2026 Playoffs Schedule

Qualifier 1: Dharamshala

Eliminator and Qualifier 2: New Chandigarh

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad to Host Grand Finale 🏟️

More Details ▶️ https://t.co/32HvsabiuF #KhelBindaas pic.twitter.com/ItrNUNoxHZ
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 6, 2026

The race among all the teams to reach the playoffs has officially begun. Currently, the Punjab Kings sit at the top of the points table with 13 points. Meanwhile, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Gujarat Titans occupy the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th spots, respectively, with 12 points each. Chennai Super Kings is placed 6th with 10 points, Delhi Capitals 7th with 8 points, Kolkata Knight Riders 8th with 7 points, Mumbai Indians 9th with 6 points, and Lucknow Super Giants holds the 10th position with 4 points. As of now, no team has been completely eliminated from the playoff race, nor has any team secured a guaranteed spot in the playoffs. The picture will gradually become clearer in the upcoming matches.

Due to certain operational and logistical considerations, the IPL 2026 playoffs will be hosted across three different stadiums. Initially, the hosting rights for the final match had been allotted to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. However, the local cricket association and officials put forward certain demands that fell outside the scope of the BCCI's established guidelines and protocols. For this reason, the venue for the final has been changed and shifted to a different location. The IPL statement further said,

"Bengaluru was originally designated to host the Final. However, owing to certain requirements from the local association and authorities that were beyond the scope of BCCI's established guidelines and protocols, the venue has been shifted and reassigned."