With every Indian Premier League (IPL) match being a nail-biting thriller that goes right down to the wire, the 16th season of the competition has possibly been the most thrilling of all.
With all teams having completed their final league-stage games and only the top four qualifying for the playoffs, the conclusion of this year’s Indian Premier League is rapidly approaching.
The top four clubs from the league stage will face one another in a qualifier or an eliminator during the playoff rounds. Below, TSN explains the meaning of a qualifier and an eliminator as well as the structure and guidelines under which they are played.
What does an IPL 2023 qualifier mean?
A qualifier is a game in the IPL knockout stage that determines which team advances to the tournament final. Which two teams advance to compete for the title of champions is decided by two qualifiers.
The clubs ranked first and second in the league table square off in Qualifier 1, the opening game of the Indian Premier League playoffs. The winner advances to the final, and the loser advances to Qualifier 2.
The team that wins the Eliminator and loses the Qualifier 1 plays each other in Qualifier 2, the third game of the IPL playoffs.
In the IPL 2023, what is an eliminator?
The first team to be eliminated in the IPL Playoffs is determined by an elimination match. The teams that placed third and fourth in the league stage of the competition square off in this match.
Rules for IPL 2023 Playoffs
Following 14 games played by all teams, the top four teams in the IPL league table advance to the tournament’s playoff round.
In Qualifier 1, the top two teams from the league stage will face each other. The victor of this match advances to the Final, while the loser advances to Qualifier 2 for another shot.
The third and fourth-placed teams will face off in an Eliminator match; the winner advances to face the Qualifier 1 loser in Qualifier 2, while the loser is eliminated from the competition.
In the IPL Final, the victor of Qualifer 2 will square off against the winner of Qualifer 1 to become the IPL Champion.
IPL 2023 Playoff in IPL Schedule & Format: Qualifier 1: Gujarat Titans, the second-place team, vs. Chennai Super Kings, the second-place team, May 23, M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai – CSK won by 15 runs
Eliminator: Mumbai Indians (4th) vs. 3rd place Lucknow Super Giants (24 May), M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai – MI won by 81 runs.
Qualifier 2: Mumbai Indians, the winners of the eliminator, will play the Gujarat Titans, the losers of Qualifier 1, on May 26 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Final: Gujarat Titans/Mumbai Indians, the winners of Qualifier 2 (Chennai Super Kings), vs. Qualifier 1 winner: May 28, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
The defending champions GT still have a chance to retain their championship and aren’t out of the competition even after losing to CSK in the first qualifier.
The Titans will play MI in the second qualifier on May 26 as a result of taking the top two slots in the league stage.
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