The points system in the Indian Premier League is an extremely important component of how the teams plan their season. Generally, the magic number for a team to qualify for the IPL playoffs is 16. At the start of the season, teams generally target this number. It does not guarantee a playoffs spot but is generally considered to be a safe number. A lot of the time, teams ending with 14 or even 12 points have qualified for the playoffs. It all depends on how the rest of the teams are going. How many teams qualify for playoffs in the IPL? Out of the ten teams, four teams qualify for the playoffs in the IPL. The scenario becomes very interesting with all the teams jostling to make it into the playoffs. How does the IPL points system work? The top four from the group stage qualify for the IPL playoffs. The teams finishing in the top two get two shots at the final. They clash in Qualifier 1. On the other hand, the team in the third spot and the fourth position face off in an eliminator. The losing team from that match bids farewell to the tournament, while those who win take on the loser from Qualifier 1 in a virtual semi-final, called Qualifier 2. How many points should a team have? Such are the complexities of the points table that in different seasons, we have seen different minimum cutoff points for qualification in the playoffs. So how many points are needed to qualify for IPL playoffs? Generally, 16 points are taken as the benchmark, as a team having 16 points is almost certain to qualify. It also sometimes comes down to the net run rate. Like in 2019, Hyderabad out-qualified Kolkata because of a superior NRR. Teams Qualified for Playoffs Every Year Year Teams qualifying for playoffs 2008 RR, Punjab, CSK, Delhi 2009 Delhi, CSK, RCB, Deccan Chargers 2010 Mumbai, Deccan Chargers, CSK, RCB 2011 RCB, CSK, Mumbai, KKR 2012 Delhi, KKR, Mumbai, CSK 2013 CSK, Mumbai, RR, SRH 2014 Punjab, KKR, CSK, Mumbai 2015 CSK, Mumbai, RCB, RR 2016 Lions, RCB, SRH, KKR 2017 Mumbai, RPSG, SRH, KKR 2018 SRH, CSK, KKR, RR 2019 Mumbai, CSK, Delhi, SRH 2020 Mumbai, Delhi, SRH, RCB 2021 Delhi, CSK, RCB, KKR 2022 Gujarat, RR, LSG, RCB 2023 Gujarat, CSK, LSG, Mumbai 2024 KKR, SRH, RR, RCB Let us take a year-by-year example of the minimum points needed to qualify IPL 2008 During the first season of the IPL, 15 points was the cutoff point. The then Delhi Daredevils was the fourth team to make it through with 15 points, while Mumbai, who was the fifth team on the points table, did not make it. Also Read | Who has the highest individual score in ODI cricket? [Updated 2025] IPL 2009 In IPL 2009, the battle for playoff qualification came all the way down to net run rate. There were two teams in Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab on the same points. They both had 14 points to their credit. The Chargers were in the playoffs due to a superior NRR than the Kings XI Punjab. IPL 2010 Similar to the previous season, two teams namely Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings shared 14 points after the league stage with another team. But this time it had no say in deciding the list for the playoffs. Both of them found their place, since the fifth-placed Delhi team had won only 6 games and had 12 points on their tally. IPL 2011 As we discussed earlier, there is no specific number of points to qualify. This year, Kings XI Punjab won 7 games and had 14 points, but yet failed to qualify for the IPL playoffs. The top 3 teams were – Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai. Kolkata Knight Riders were fourth on the table with 16 points. IPL 2012 In this season once again, IPL playoffs were decided on the basis of net run rate. The fourth and fifth-placed teams, Chennai and Bangalore, were tied on 12 points. The Super Kings qualified for the playoffs because of their better NRR. IPL 2013 There were nine teams in this season, and it was one of the most competitive seasons we have had so far. Bangalore didn't make it despite winning nine games and garnering 18 points, while Hyderabad qualified as the fourth team with 20 points. IPL 2014 Going back to the 8-team system, this season had Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals level on 14 points after the league phase. Mumbai made it to the playoffs due to their better NRR. IPL 2015 16 points were the standard in this season. Kolkata Knight Riders tallied 15 points in the league stage but fell short of qualification, as Bangalore and Rajasthan qualified as the third and fourth teams. Chennai and Mumbai held the top two positions. IPL 2016 Here too, 16 points were needed in order to be included in the playoffs. Fifth-placed team Mumbai also played seven wins with 14 points, the same as that in IPL 2014. This time too, however, it was insufficient. IPL 2017 The 2017 season was another season where 7 victories weren't sufficient to secure qualification. Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata were the teams who held the top four positions in the standings, as Punjab fell short with 14 points. IPL 2018 This season was different from the last two, with Rajasthan making it to the playoffs even though they won only seven games. The top four teams were – Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Rajasthan. Also Read | Top 10 ODI Highest Partnerships for Fourth Wicket [Updated 2025] IPL 2019 It was a unique season in 2019; under David Warner's captaincy, the Sunrisers Hyderabad made it to the next stage with just six wins. Kolkata Knight Riders also had the same points but a poorer NRR. IPL 2020 In the previous season, the third, fourth and fifth teams of the points table were all at 14 points. Hyderabad and Bangalore advanced to the next level, and Kolkata Knight Riders missed out due to NRR yet again. IPL 2021 The IPL 2021 was divided into two seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This season, Delhi Capitals finished as the top team in the playoffs with 20 points. Thus, it was a smooth landing for them. The other three positions were occupied by Chennai Super Kings, Royals Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders. CSK and RCB both had 18 points to their credit and qualified comfortably, but the fourth position finish was a struggle. KKR finally became the last IPL team to occupy the position with 14 points. Mumbai were also on 14 points but had a poorer net run rate. IPL 2022 In the 2022 IPL season, 16 points became the cut-off for a team to make it to the playoffs. Gujarat Titans, in their inaugural season, ran away with 20 points and led the points table. Rajasthan Royals took the second spot with 18 points and Lucknow Super Giants took the third spot with 18 points as well. They were also participating in their inaugural season. Royal Challengers Bangalore was the last team to qualify for the playoffs that year with 16 points. IPL 2023 Gujarat Titans took their first season in the IPL and began 2023 in all cylinders fired fashion as they led the group stage on 20 points once more. Chennai Super Kings were in second position on 17 points while Lucknow SuperGiants held third position with 17 points. Mumbai Indians on 16 points became the fourth team of the season to secure the playoff berth. That year witnessed one of the greatest IPL finals in IPL history. CSK required 10 from 2 to win, trouncing over the line against Titans. IPL 2024 This season had one of the most fascinating final league games which saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru take the final IPL 2024 playoffs spot by the barest of margins. Kolkata Knight Riders were the dominant team in the group stages and scored 20 points to seal a playoff spot. SRH were in second spot with 17 points while RR also scored 17 points. The ninth position witnessed a stunning battle. RCB began the season terribly. In their first eight matches, they won just once against Punjab Kings. Everyone believed their campaign was over, but RCB returned in an incredible manner. They only needed to win their remaining matches. There was no escape. Then began a comeback tale of all time. They defeated SRH first, then Titans twice and Punjab Kings. In their last two games, RCB were facing Delhi Capitals and CSK. They defeated Delhi with ease and then in one of the most thrilling matches seen, RCB defeated CSK to win. They won their last two games and became the first team to make it to the playoffs in such a way.