IPL: Dates, teams, venues, history & more

The Indian Premier League is the world's most prestigious Twenty20 franchise tournament and the glitz and glamour of the event is matched by the quality of cricket on the field.

Since its inaugural season in 2008, the IPL has showcased the talents of top T20 players from around the globe and propelled a new generation of Indian cricketers to stardom. 

IPL dates

The Indian Premier League is held each year in India during the months of March, April and May. 

The 2026 IPL season will start on 15th March and conclude with the final on 31st May.

IPL times

Most of the matches in the IPL will start at 7.30pm Indian time, which is 2pm in the UK and Ireland. Twenty20 games tend to last between three and four hours.

IPL teams

The Indian Premier League consists of 10 franchises which are based in cities across India.

• Chennai Super Kings
• Delhi Capitals
• Gujarat Titans
• Kolkata Knight Riders
• Lucknow Super Giants
• Mumbai Indians
• Punjab Kings
• Rajasthan Royals
• Royal Challengers Bengaluru
• Sunrisers Hyderabad

IPL venues

Each of the 10 franchises has their own home ground and some of the most iconic cricket stadiums in India play host to IPL matches each season. 

• M. A. Chidambaram Stadium (Chennai)
• Arun Jaitley Stadium (Delhi)
• Narendra Modi Stadium (Gujarat)
• Eden Gardens (Kolkata)
• Ekana Stadium (Lucknow)
• Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai)
• Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium (Punjab)
• Sawai Mansingh Stadium (Rajasthan)
• M. Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bengaluru)
• Rajiv Gandhi Stadium (Hyderabad)

IPL history

The 2026 Indian Premier League will be the 19th edition of the T20 franchise league. 

It was first held in 2008 when Rajasthan Royals, inspired by Australia legend Shane Warne, lifted the trophy. 

The 2009 tournament was held in South Africa and Dubai staged the IPL finals in 2020 and 2021, but the tournament has taken place in India in the last two years.

2024 witnessed Royal Challengers Bengaluru secure a maiden title as they secured a thrilling six-run win against Punjab Kings.

Chennai Super Kings, who have also been runners-up five times, are the joint-most successful team in IPL history along with Mumbai Indians, who last triumphed in 2020.

Only five other teams have lifted the IPL title, including Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the now defunct Deccan Chargers.

IPL format

The Indian Premier League was expanded to 10 teams in 2022, with the franchises split into two groups for the league stage of the competition. 

Under the current format, each franchise plays 14 league fixtures, facing the other four teams in their group once and the five teams in the other group twice, once at home and once away. 

The top four teams in the league table qualify for the end-of-season play-offs.

The franchises select their squads in lucrative pre-season player auctions and they are permitted to pick a maximum of four overseas players in their matchday XI.