Rajasthan Royals (RR) became the fourth and final team to qualify for the playoffs after defeating Mumbai Indians (MI) by 30 runs in their final league-stage clash of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
With the victory, RR officially joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RC), Gujarat Titans (GT), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2026 playoffs.
The result also confirmed the complete playoff schedule, venues, and knockout fixtures for the remainder of the tournament.
Also Read: IPL 2026: Archer's wizardry fires RR into playoffs with emphatic win over MI as PBKS-KKR knocked out
IPL 2026 playoffs schedule, venues and knockout fixtures confirmed
With the playoff picture now clear, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru are set to take on Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1.
The blockbuster clash will be played on Tuesday, May 26, at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium.
The winner of Qualifier 1 will directly book a place in the IPL 2026 final, while the losing side will still get another opportunity to qualify through Qualifier 2.
Meanwhile, Eliminator 1 will feature Sunrisers Hyderabad taking on Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday, May 27 at the New International Cricket Stadium.
The winner of the Eliminator will then face the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2, which is scheduled to be played on Friday, May 29 at the same venue in New Chandigarh.
The grand finale of IPL 2026 will be played at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, May 31.
The two surviving teams from the playoffs will battle it out there for the IPL 2026 trophy.
Playoff pedigree and IPL title history of the final four teams
All four remaining teams in the Indian Premier League 2026 have strong playoff histories and multiple deep runs in the tournament over the years.
Rajasthan Royals have now qualified for the playoffs six times:
2008 (Champions)
2013
2015
2022 (Runners-up)
2024
2026
RR famously won the inaugural IPL title in 2008 under Shane Warne and has reached two finals overall.
Meanwhile, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru have qualified for the playoffs a massive 11 times:
2009
2010
2011
2015
2016
2020
2021
2022
2024
2025 (Champions)
2026
RCB finally ended their 18-year wait for an IPL trophy last season after previously losing three finals.
Gujarat Titans have continued their remarkable consistency since entering the league in 2022 and have now made the playoffs three times:
2022 (Champions)
2023
2026
GT won the IPL title in their debut season before reaching another final in 2023, where they lost to Chennai Super Kings.
On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad have qualified for the playoffs eight times:
2013
2016 (Champions)
2017
2018
2019
2020
2024
2026
SRH lifted their only IPL trophy in 2016 and have played three IPL finals so far.