IPL 2026 playoffs are set to begin after four teams qualify for the knockout stage. The schedule starts with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) playing Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 1 on May 26 in Dharamsala. The winner of Qualifier 1 advances directly to the final, while the other team gets another chance through the next playoff match, following the standard IPL playoff structure.
The second match of the playoffs is the Eliminator, scheduled for May 27. In this game, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) take on Rajasthan Royals (RR). The Eliminator is a knockout match where the losing team is eliminated from the tournament, and the winner advances to the next stage of the playoffs.
Both reports align on the playoff match-ups and the dates, confirming that RCB vs GT determines one route to the final and SRH vs RR decides the team that progresses from the Eliminator.
