Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans will get the IPL 2026 Playoffs underway with Qualifier 1 set to take place at HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Tuesday.
Published: May 25, 2026 11:41 AM IST
After 70 matches in the IPL 2026 league stages, the top four teams in the IPL 2026 Playoffs have been finally logged in. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been the first to book their place in the next stage as they gun to win back-to-back titles after their barren run in the first 18 seasons.
They are joined by 2021 champions Gujarat Titans, 2016 winners Sunrisers Hyderabad and inaugural IPL winners Rajasthan Royals. RR were the last team to book their place in the Playoffs, on the final day of the league games – after beating Mumbai Indians by 30 runs in their final league match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
Who will be playing in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1?
The Qualifier 1 of IPL 2026 is a clash between the top two teams on the Points Table. This year will be a clash between Virat Kohli’s RCB and Shubman Gill’s GT at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Tuesday (May 26).
RCB topped the Points Table this season with 18 points in 14 matches and a NRR of 0.783. GT also had 18 points from 14 matches by were behind on the NRR with 0.695.
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The winner of Qualifier 1 will progress straight into the IPL 2026 final which is set to take place at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, May 31. The losing team in this match, will have another chance to reach the final by playing in Qualifier 2 at Mullanpur on Friday, May 29.
IPL 2026 Playoffs explained. (Source: NotebookLM)
Who will be playing in IPL 2026 Eliminator?
The Eliminator of IPL 2026 will be a clash between third and fourth-placed sides in IPL 2026 Points Table. Kavya Maran’s SRH qualified for the Playoffs by ending in 3rd place with 18 points in 14 matches at NRR of 0.524. They will take on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Rajasthan Royals, who finished in 4th place with 16 points from 14 matches.
The winner of the Eliminator of IPL 2026 will take place at New PCA Stadium at Mullanpur, New Chandigarh on Wednesday, May 27. The winner of the Eliminator will take on losing team from Qualifier 1 between RCB and GT in Qualifier 2 at the same venue on Friday. The winner of Qualifier 2 will take on winner of Qualifier 1 in the final on Sunday.
IPL 2026 Playoffs fixtures
Qualifier 1: RCB vs GT, HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala on May 26 from 730pm
Eliminator: SRH vs RR, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh on May 27 from 730pm
Qualifier 2: SRH/RR vs RCB/GT, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh on May 29 from 730pm
Final: Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31 from 730pm
