The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season will be played from March 22 to May 25.
Rajasthan Royals, led by Sanju Samson, are gearing up for an intense IPL 2025 campaign and aiming for a playoff berth in what promises to be a fiercely contested season.
Here’s a breakdown of the IPL 2025 format and what the Royals need to do to qualify for the playoffs.
IPL 2025 format: League stage
The 10 teams have been divided into two groups for the league phase of the IPL 2025 season.
The seedings are based on the number of times a team has won the IPL or made the finals.
Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, who have won the IPL five times each, are the top two seeds in the IPL and hence in separate groups.
Kolkata Knight Riders are seeded third while Sunrisers Hyderabad are fourth. Inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans take up the next two spots.
IPL 2025 groups
Group A | Group B |
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | Mumbai Indians (MI) |
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) | Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) |
Rajasthan Royals (RR) | Gujarat Titans (GT) |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) | Delhi Capitals (DC) |
Punjab Kings (PBKS) | Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) |
Each team will play 14 league matches and will face the four teams in their own group and the team in the same row from the other group home and away. They will play the remaining four teams from the other group only once.
For example, Rajasthan Royals will play CSK, RCB, PBKS and KKR twice, while their group crossover opponent is GT, against whom they will also play home and away.
The Royals will face MI, DC, SRH and LSG once in the league stage.
IPL 2025 points system
The top four teams from the league stage will qualify for the playoffs. Teams will be awarded two points for a win in the league stage and one point when the match is abandoned without producing a result.
In case of a tie, the match will be decided via Super Over.
If two or more teams have the same points in the standings, the Net Run Rate (NRR) comes into play as the tie-breaker.
Last season, four teams - RCB, CSK, DC and LSG - were tied on 14 points for the fourth spot on the points table but only RCB qualified for the playoffs due to their better NRR.
IPL 2025 playoffs format
The teams finishing in the top two from the league stage will have a significant advantage in the playoffs.
The top two teams will play Qualifier 1 in Hyderabad on May 20 for a direct ticket to the final.
The third and fourth-placed teams face off in the Eliminator in Hyderabad on May 21. The winner of the match will face the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2, which is scheduled on May 23 in Kolkata for the second spot in the final.
The IPL 2025 final will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on May 25.
