The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is approaching its climax with the final on Sunday. Gujarat Titans, Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians became the four teams to make the cut, with Royal Challengers Bangalore missing out in the final game.
LSG lost the Eliminator Final against MI, going down by 81 runs, to crash out of the competition. CSK have reached the final after winning Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans. GT and MI met each other in Qualifier 12, from where Gujarat advanced to the final.
The IPL 2023 playoffs schedule was announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) earlier during the ongoing season, from May 23 to May 28. A total of four matches are played to determine the winner of the season in the IPL playoffs. The teams ending in the top two spots in the points table get an extra chance to make it to the final.
What is the playoff format in the IPL?
The first match in the IPL playoffs is Qualifier 1, which is played between the top two teams of the season according to the points table. The team that wins this match seals a place directly in the final. Interestingly, the losing team of the first Qualifier is not knocked out and this is where the team gets benefitted from ending in the top two in the league stage.
Meanwhile, the third and fourth-placed teams lock horns in the Eliminator. The loser of this match is knocked out of the competition. However, the winner of the Eliminator is needed to clear one more hurdle before qualifying for the final by facing the loser of the first Qualifier.
This face-off is called Qualifier 2 and this is a knockout game with a place in the final at stake.
IPL was the first T20 league to introduce a playoffs system to reward the teams for their consistency throughout the league stage after the 2009 season. Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) topped the points table but one bad day in the semi-final led to them getting knocked out. Hence, in IPL 2011, the playoffs system was introduced to reward teams for consistency.
The same system is being followed since then and a lot of teams have benefitted from it with the top two teams often ending up winning the trophy.
Playoff schedule IPL 2023: Dates and venues
Coming back to the IPL 2023 playoffs schedule, the Qualifier 1 was played on May 23 while the Eliminator was scheduled the very next day. MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai hosted these two matches.
Gujarat Titans took on the home team Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday, before Lucknow Super Giants locked horns with Mumbai Indians a day later in the Eliminator.
The IPL caravan then moved to Ahmedabad where the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium hosted the last two matches of the season – Qualifier 2 and final. The second Qualifier, according to the IPL 2023 playoffs schedule, was played on May 26 and the summit clash is set to happen on May 28. All the matches will start at 7:30 PM IST.
Here are the IPL playoffs schedule for this season:
| Date | Day | Match | Venue | Time |
| May 23 | Tuesday | Qualifier 1, GT v CSK | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | 7:30 PM IST |
| May 24 | Wednesday | Eliminator, LSG v MI | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | 7:30 PM IST |
| May 26 | Friday | Qualifier 2, GT vs MI | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | 7:30 PM IST |
| May 28 | Sunday | Final, CSK vs GT | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | 7:30 PM IST |
Gujarat, who had become the first team to qualify for the IPL 2023 playoffs, ended with 20 points in the league stage. They played Qualifier 1, but were unable to replicate their league stage form, going down to CSK at the Chepauk by 15 runs. However, they managed to turn it around in Qualifier 2, with Shubman Gill making 129, which propelled GT to a huge score of 233-3.
Chennai Super Kings have managed to turn around their poor 2022 form, when they finished ninth, and have made their tenth IPL final. They defeated GT in Qualifier 1 after turning on the brakes with the ball. MS Dhoni will lead CSK yet again in the summit clash on May 28, possibly for one final time.
Lucknow Super Giants have been knocked out of the IPL 2023, after they were defeated by Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator on May 24. LSG had finished on 17 points in the league stages, but had no answers against fourth-placed MI, as they were shot out for 101 chasing 182. LSG had also lost in the Eliminator last year.
Mumbai, after a dreadful start to the season, have entered the top three after beating Lucknow in the Eliminator, MI had finished last in IPL 2022, and were without key players this year, but managed to turn it around, with the batting leading the way. Against LSG, Akash Madhwal picked up 5-5, which helped them make their way into Qualifier 2. There, they came up against Shubman Gill, and were unable to chase down 234, losing by 62 runs.
