The men’s Indian Premier League (IPL) is a league tournament played in the T20 format. It began in 2008 and has since worked its way to the most elite, sought after, and commercially successful T20 league event globally. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) directly governs the Indian Premier League.
The constitution of an IPL team is similar to that of a football club team wherein players from different nationalities become teammates. An auction is held ahead of the event that determines which player goes to which franchise. The auction has a preset law which decides the contractual period for each player.
The tournament is divided into a league stage and a playoffs stage. The league stage sees each team plays the other twice in a double round-robin format. Teams earn two points for a win, zero for a loss, and one point each if the match is unable to produce a result.
The playing eleven of each team cannot have more than four overseas (non-Indian) players. In a squad of 25 players, a franchise cannot have more than eight overseas players. Once the league stages ends, the top two teams face each other in the first qualifier. The winner of this match progresses to the final. Teams placed third and fourth play an eliminator. The winner of this match plays the loser of the first qualifier. This match decides the second finalist.
The IPL is also known for some of its unique rules. It introduced the strategic timeout period which teams can have twice per innings. This period lasts for 2.5 minutes. The IPL also made it legal for the bowlers from the 2024 season to bowl two bouncers in an over. An impact player rule is a notable feature, wherein one of the five players who are named as substitutes before the match begins can take the role of a batter or a bowler. Each team is allowed to do this substitution only once per match.
15 teams have thus far been a part of the IPL, of which five are now defunct. These teams are Deccan Chargers, Pune Sahara Warriors, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiants. The ten teams currently active are Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Gujarat Titans, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Supergiants and Punjab Kings.
The player with the most runs in a single edition of the tournament is presented with an Orange Cap. The most successful bowler of the tournament gets the Purple Cap. Additionally, a Fair Play Award is given to the team who managed to play the entire event within the spirit of the sport and the laws of the game. Other accolades like Most Valuable Player, Emerging Player Award, and Maximum Sixes Award are also given at the end of the tournament.
As of 2024, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are the most successful teams, winning five IPL titles each. The next best team is Kolkata Knight Riders with three titles to its name. Rajasthan Royals, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans have won one title each. Virat Kohli has hit over 8000 runs in the IPL, making him the highest run-getter of the tournament. The most successful bowler is Yuzvendra Chahal with over 200 wickets to his name.
