Updated October 2026 | All stats are as of the end of IPL 2026 (final played 31 May 2026).
Quick answer: IPL rules are the playing conditions the BCCI sets for each season, built on the standard Twenty20 laws. A match is 20 overs a side. A team can field no more than four overseas players, can name one Impact Player from five named substitutes, and gets two unsuccessful reviews per innings. The first six overs are a powerplay with only two fielders outside the 30-yard circle. Tied matches go to a Super Over, rain-affected matches are settled by the DLS method, and the top four teams in the league go into a four-match playoff. This page explains every major IPL rule, and notes where a rule changed between seasons.
| Rule | Since or status | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Match length | Twenty20 since 2008 | 20 overs per side; each bowler can bowl at most four overs |
| Overseas players | Current rule | No more than four in the XI; no more than eight in a squad of 18 to 25 |
| Impact Player | IPL 2023; kept through 2027 | Each team can replace one member of its XI with one of five named substitutes |
| Powerplay | Standard T20 rule | First six overs: two fielders outside the 30-yard circle; then five |
| Two bouncers per over | IPL 2024 | Bowlers may bowl two short-pitched deliveries an over |
| Reviews (DRS) | Wides and no-balls reviewable from 2023 | Two unsuccessful reviews per team per innings |
| Super Over | Current playing conditions | One over each; repeated until there is a winner, time permitting |
| DLS method | Used for rain-affected matches | Sets a revised target when overs are lost |
| Slow over-rate | Changed for 2025 | In-match fielding restriction and fines; captain bans replaced by demerit points |
| Auction and retention | Auction since 2008 | Purse, squad limits, retention slabs and the Right to Match card |
| Playoffs | Qualifier and Eliminator format since 2011 | Top four teams play four matches to decide the champion |
IPL Rules: Match Format Basics
The IPL is a Twenty20 league. Each team bats once for a maximum of 20 overs, and the team with more runs at the end wins. No bowler can bowl more than four overs, which means a team needs at least five bowlers in a full match.
The league stage is a round of fixtures in which every team plays 14 matches. With ten teams, that makes 70 league matches. The top four teams on the table then play four playoff matches, so a full season has 74 matches, as in 2026. Our guide to the IPL 2026 season has the full table.
Points and the league table
A win earns a team two points and a no result earns one. A washed-out league match is shared, with one point each. The table is ranked by points first, then by number of wins, then by net run rate. Net run rate is therefore only a tie-breaker, and it matters only when teams are level on both points and wins.
Two recent seasons show the rule at work. In 2026, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad all finished on 18 points with nine wins, so net run rate decided the order: Bengaluru 0.783, Gujarat 0.695 and Sunrisers 0.524. In 2025, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru both had 19 points and nine wins, and Punjab were placed first on net run rate (0.372 to 0.301). In the same season Mumbai Indians had the best net run rate of the top four (1.142) but finished fourth, because they had only 16 points.
| Season | Team | Position | Points | Net run rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Punjab Kings | 1st | 19 | 0.372 |
| 2025 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 2nd | 19 | 0.301 |
| 2025 | Gujarat Titans | 3rd | 18 | 0.254 |
| 2025 | Mumbai Indians | 4th | 16 | 1.142 |
| 2026 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 1st | 18 | 0.783 |
| 2026 | Gujarat Titans | 2nd | 18 | 0.695 |
| 2026 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 3rd | 18 | 0.524 |
| 2026 | Rajasthan Royals | 4th | 16 | 0.189 |
When a match cannot be finished
A washed-out league match is shared, with one point to each side. A washed-out playoff is different: if a playoff match cannot be completed, the team that finished higher in the league table during the regular season is declared the winner. The final has a reserve day. The 2023 final between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans was moved to the reserve day, 29 May, after rain on the original day.
Penalty runs and fair play
Umpires may award five penalty runs to the opposing side for unfair play. One example is a fielder who moves unfairly while the bowler is delivering the ball, which makes the delivery a dead ball and awards five runs to the batting side.
Squad and Overseas Player Rules
Each franchise builds a squad of between 18 and 25 players, and no more than eight of them can be overseas players. For each match, captains must provide a written list of their starting eleven and up to five substitutes. No team can name more than four overseas players in its starting XI, and no more than four overseas players can be on the field at the same time.
The squad limits have consequences that are easy to miss:
- A minimum-size squad of 18 players, with no more than eight overseas, must include at least 10 Indian players.
- A full squad of 25 players, with no more than eight overseas, must include at least 17 Indian players.
- A team that starts with four overseas players must choose an Indian Impact Player. To use an overseas substitute, it has to start with no more than three overseas players, so it can never field more than four at once.
The XI does not have to be declared before the toss. Captains can name it after the toss, which lets a team choose its batters and bowlers knowing whether it will bat or bowl first. The squad rules also link to the auction, where a team must spend at least 75 per cent of its available purse. That is covered in the auction section below.
The Impact Player Rule
The Impact Player rule lets each team replace one member of its starting XI with a substitute during the match. Teams name five possible substitutes, and the captain can bring one of them into the game at a natural break: before an innings starts, at the end of an over, when a wicket falls or when a batter retires. The player who comes in can bat and bowl a full quota of four overs, and the player he replaces cannot return, even as a substitute fielder.
The rule was introduced in the 2023 season and has been kept through 2027. If a team’s XI already includes four overseas players, the Impact Player must be Indian. If the XI has three or fewer, the substitute can be an overseas player, so a team can never field more than four overseas players at once.
A real example
The first Impact Player substitution came in the opening match of 2023, between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad on 31 March 2023. Chennai replaced the batter Ambati Rayudu with the fast bowler Tushar Deshpande once Rayudu had finished batting, and Deshpande became the first Impact Player in IPL history. Gujarat used it differently, bringing in the batter Sai Sudharsan after Kane Williamson was injured. Gujarat won by five wickets.
What the rule did to scoring
| Measure | 2020 to 2022 | 2023 to 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Average first-innings total | 167.0 | 189.7 |
| Run rate (both innings) | 8.31 | 9.52 |
| Sixes per match | 12.8 | 17.6 |
| Totals of 200 or more per match | 0.21 | 0.67 |
Average first-innings totals are about 23 runs higher since 2023, and 200-plus totals have gone from roughly one match in five to 0.67 per match. Other changes, such as flatter pitches, have played a part, but the timing points to the rule as a main cause. Our page on the Impact Player rule has the full analysis.
Powerplay and Fielding Restrictions
Fielding restrictions are measured with a circle drawn 30 yards from the middle stump. They apply in two stages:
| Overs | Name | Fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 6 | Powerplay | Two |
| 7 to 20 | After the powerplay | Five |
A separate limit applies on the leg side: there can be no more than five fielders on the leg side at the moment of delivery, in every phase of the innings. If a fielding side breaks a restriction, for example by having a sixth fielder outside the circle in the powerplay, the delivery is called a no-ball.
Bouncers
Since the 2024 season bowlers have been allowed two bouncers per over in the IPL. The change followed a trial in India’s domestic Twenty20 tournament, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, in 2023-24. International Twenty20 matches allow one bouncer per over.
Reviews
Each team has two unsuccessful reviews per innings. Reviews cover dismissals such as lbw and caught behind, and since 2023 they also cover wides and no-balls, a change that followed its use in the Women’s Premier League.
The Super Over
If a match ends in a tie, it goes to a Super Over. Each team faces one over of six balls, and its innings ends after two wickets. The team with more runs wins. If the Super Over is also tied, further Super Overs are played, provided weather and time allow. Under the playing conditions used in recent seasons:
- Any batter dismissed in a previous Super Over is ineligible to bat in the next one.
- Any bowler who bowled in the previous Super Over is ineligible to bowl in the next one.
The current playing conditions allow a changeover of up to 10 minutes between the end of the match and the start of the Super Over. Other time limits are set in each season’s playing conditions and have changed over time.
A real example: two Super Overs in 2020
On 18 October 2020 in Dubai, Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab both made 176 for six, and the match went to a Super Over. Jasprit Bumrah bowled for Mumbai and Mohammed Shami for Punjab. Punjab scored 5 for two and Mumbai replied with 5 for one, so the match went to a second Super Over, the first time that had happened in IPL history. Chris Jordan bowled the second Super Over for Punjab, not either of the first-over bowlers, which fits the rule above. Punjab made 15 without loss, Mumbai made 11 for one, and Punjab won.
The DLS Method
When rain or bad light interrupts play, the IPL uses the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method to set a revised target. The method gives each team a share of its batting resources based on the overs and wickets it has left, so a team that loses overs in the chase gets a lower target that reflects what it can realistically score.
A real example: the 2023 final
The 2023 final between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans shows the method at work. Rain washed out the original day, so the match was played on the reserve day, 29 May 2023, in Ahmedabad. Gujarat scored 214 for four, with Sai Sudharsan making 96 off 47 balls. Rain returned early in the chase, and after a long delay the DLS method gave Chennai a revised target of 171 in 15 overs. Chennai won by five wickets, with Ravindra Jadeja hitting the winning runs on the final ball.
Slow Over-Rate Penalties
The IPL penalises teams that do not bowl their overs on time. The penalties have changed several times, so it helps to separate what happens in the match from what happens afterwards.
- In the match. A fielding side that is behind the required rate has to keep one fewer fielder outside the 30-yard circle for the rest of the innings, so only four are allowed there instead of five.
- Fines. The captain is fined for a first offence in a season, with the fine doubling for a second offence, when the other players are also fined. In recent seasons the amounts were ₹12 lakh for a first offence and ₹24 lakh for a second, and ₹30 lakh for a third.
- Bans. Until the 2024 season a third offence also brought a one-match ban for the captain. From 2025 captains are no longer banned. The BCCI replaced the ban with demerit points, which stay on a captain’s record for three years.
The effect was seen in 2025, when Rishabh Pant was fined ₹30 lakh for Lucknow Super Giants’ third slow over-rate offence of the season but was not suspended, as he would have been under the rules of 2024. The exact amounts and sanctions are set in each season’s playing conditions, so check the current document for the latest figures.
Auction, Retention and the Right to Match
Squads are built at an auction in which each franchise has a fixed purse. At the 2025 mega auction every team started with ₹120 crore. A squad has to have 18 to 25 players, no more than eight overseas, and the team has to spend at least 75 per cent of its available purse.
| Auction rule | Mega auction (2025) | Mini auction (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Purse | ₹120 crore per team | Set for the mini auction |
| Players a team can keep | Up to six, retentions and Right to Match cards together; no more than five capped and two uncapped | No limit |
| Retention cost | The five capped slots cost ₹18 crore, ₹14 crore, ₹11 crore, ₹18 crore and ₹14 crore; an uncapped player costs ₹4 crore | Not applicable |
| Right to Match | Yes, in a modified form | Not part of the 2026 rules |
| Overseas fee cap | — | Applies: a foreign player’s fee is capped, whatever the bid |
The Right to Match card lets a franchise buy back a former player by matching the highest bid. It was first used at the 2014 mega auction, used again in 2018, dropped for 2022 and brought back for 2025. Under the 2025 rule the highest bidder gets one final chance to raise the price before the team holding the card decides. When Rishabh Pant was sold in 2025, Delhi Capitals used the card at ₹20.75 crore, Lucknow Super Giants raised the bid to ₹27 crore, and Delhi did not match it. ₹27 crore remains the highest price in IPL history.
At the 2026 mini auction Cameron Green was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹25.20 crore. Under the BCCI’s rule for overseas players at mini auctions, his fee is capped at ₹18 crore and the remaining ₹7.20 crore is deposited with the BCCI for player welfare, although the buying team’s purse was charged the full amount.
Playoff Qualification
The top four teams in the league table qualify for the playoffs. They play four matches in the Qualifier and Eliminator format, which has been used since 2011:
- Qualifier 1: first against second. The winner goes straight to the final.
- Eliminator: third against fourth. The loser is out.
- Qualifier 2: the Qualifier 1 loser against the Eliminator winner.
- Final: the winner of Qualifier 1 against the winner of Qualifier 2.
Only the top two teams get two chances to reach the final. In 2026 Royal Challengers Bengaluru (1st) beat Gujarat Titans (2nd) in Qualifier 1, Rajasthan Royals (4th) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (3rd) in the Eliminator, Gujarat beat Rajasthan in Qualifier 2, and Bengaluru beat Gujarat again in the final on 31 May. The same pattern held in 2024 and 2025: the team that won Qualifier 1 won the title, and the team that lost it won Qualifier 2 and reached the final. Prize money follows the playoff result: third place goes to the Qualifier 2 loser and fourth to the Eliminator loser.
| Season | Qualifier 1 winner | Eliminator winner | Qualifier 2 winner | Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Rajasthan Royals | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| 2025 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Mumbai Indians | Punjab Kings | Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
| 2026 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Rajasthan Royals | Gujarat Titans | Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
If a playoff match is washed out, the team that finished higher in the regular season goes through. See the IPL 2025 and IPL 2024 season reviews for how the recent playoffs played out, and the IPL teams guide for each franchise’s record.
Related guides: the IPL playoff format, IPL retention rules, how the IPL auction works, all rules guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Impact Player rule?
It lets each IPL team replace one member of its starting XI with one of five named substitutes during a match. The substitute can bat and bowl a full four overs, and the replaced player takes no further part. The rule was introduced in 2023 and has been kept through 2027.
How many overseas players can play in an IPL match?
No more than four overseas players can be in a team’s XI, and no more than four can be on the field at once. If the XI already has four overseas players, the Impact Player must be Indian.
How many overs can a bowler bowl in the IPL?
A bowler can bowl a maximum of four overs in a full 20-over innings, so a team needs at least five bowlers.
What happens if an IPL match is tied?
It goes to a Super Over, in which each team faces one over and its innings ends after two wickets. If that is also tied, further Super Overs are played, provided weather and time allow.
Is there a reserve day in the IPL?
The final has a reserve day. The 2023 final between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans was moved to the reserve day, 29 May, after rain on the original day.
How does the IPL decide the table if teams are level on points?
Teams are ranked by points, then by number of wins, then by net run rate. If teams are still level, further tie-breakers in the playing conditions apply, with drawing lots as the last resort.