The 2026 IPL cricket season gets closer to the end by the day. Fortunately, for those who follow along closely, it is coming down to the wire for a couple of clubs. Looking at the IPL schedule, only one fixture remains for each team to affect the IPL standings.
Elsewhere in the sports world, the San Antonio Spurs may get a key player back soon during their NBA playoff run, while a sports doctor speculates on what happened with Kyle Busch.
With that in mind, here is the remaining IPL schedule, the IPL playoff fixtures, and the current IPL standings after the latest IPL match results.
IPL Match Schedule: All Remaining Fixtures
Following the conclusion of the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians match, there are only five fixtures remaining on the season schedule. Here is the list of those matches.
- May 21: Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings: GT Wins by 89 runs
- May 22: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru: SRH win by 55 runs
- May 23: Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings : Punjab Kings win by 7 wickets
- May 24: Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals – 3:30 PM IST
- May 24: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals – 7:30 PM IST
Each team will play one final match over the next four days before the start of the playoffs.
IPL Playoff Schedule Including Qualifying Matches
There will be one day of no matches before the Qualifying matches of the playoffs begin. There will be two Qualifier matches, one Eliminator match, and one Championship match. Here is how the 2026 IPL playoff schedule plays out.
- May 26: Qualifier 1 (Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans) – 7:30 PM IST
- May 27: Eliminator (Sunrisers Hyderabad vs TBD) – 7:30 PM IST
- May 29: Qualifier 2 (Winner of Eliminator vs Loser of Qualifier 1) – 7:30 PM IST
- May 31: Championship Final (Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2) – 7:30 PM IST
IPL Playoff Standings: Who Will Join Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans, and Sunrisers Hyderabad?
Heading into the last group of fixtures, the IPL standings show the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans, and Sunrisers Hyderabad have qualified for the playoffs. That means only one of the remaining seven teams will qualify for the playoffs.
However, both the Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants have been eliminated from contention. That leaves the Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Delhi Capitals to fight over the final playoff position.
Following the conclusion of the most recent Gujarat Titans’ 89-run victory over CSK, here is how the standings and points table look.
| Rank | Team | Wins | Loss | NR | Points |
| 1 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 9 | 5 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | Gujarat Titans | 9 | 5 | 0 | 18 |
| 3 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 9 | 5 | 0 | 18 |
| 4 | Punjab Kings | 7 | 6 | 1 | 15 |
| 5 | Rajasthan Royals | 7 | 6 | 0 | 14 |
| 6 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 6 | 6 | 1 | 13 |
| 7 | Chennai Super Kings | 6 | 8 | 0 | 12 |
| 8 | Delhi Capitals | 6 | 7 | 0 | 12 |
| 9 | Mumbai Indians | 4 | 9 | 0 | 8 |
| 10 | Lucknow Super Giants | 4 | 9 | 0 | 8 |
The Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders are hot on the heels of the Rajasthan Royals for the final playoff spot. Looking at the last fixtures could give us some insight into who might finish the season in the final playoff position.
PBKS’ last match is against LSG, KKR will face DC, while RR’s final match is against MI. Arguably, its a level playing field for the three teams vying for a playoff spot, because their opponents are the bottom three teams in the standings. Because of this, there is an arguement to be made that PBKS has the easier schedule because LSG is in the final spot on the IPL points table.
One way or another, the final playoff spot is up for grabs and it looks like it will be a photo finish for whoever takes it.
Next IPL Match?: 2026 IPL Standings & Playoff Schedule