The IPL follows the rules of Twenty20 cricket, with a few features of its own. Here is how a season works.
A T20 match
Each team bats once and faces a maximum of 20 overs, with six balls in each over. The team that scores more runs wins. A bowler can bowl a maximum of four overs in an innings, which spreads the work across a team’s bowlers.
The powerplay
For the first six overs of each innings, only two fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle. This is the powerplay. It encourages attacking batting at the start of an innings, and it often produces the quickest scoring.
Strategic timeouts
The IPL uses short strategic timeouts during each innings. Teams gather, discuss tactics and sometimes change their plan. These breaks add to the sense of a game within a game.
The league stage
In the league stage, teams play each other in a set number of matches, with points awarded for wins. Each team plays both at home and away across the season. At the end of the league stage, the teams with the most points move on.
The playoffs
The top four teams enter the playoffs. The format gives the best two teams a second chance, so one bad match does not end their season. It involves a qualifier, an eliminator and a final qualifier, and the winners meet in the final.
The final decides the champion, and it is usually played in a big stadium in front of a huge crowd.
Net run rate
If teams finish on the same points, net run rate is used to separate them. It measures how quickly a team has scored runs, compared with how quickly they have conceded them. A team that wins big raises its net run rate, so a heavy win matters even in a long season.
Super over
If a match ends in a tie, a super over decides the winner. Each team gets one over to bat, and the team that scores more wins. It is one of the most thrilling ways to settle a match.
Reading a match
When you watch, notice how teams plan their innings. Batters attack in the powerplay, rebuild in the middle, and accelerate at the end. Bowlers are used in careful spells, with the best saved for the death overs.
The format may sound simple, but it creates endless variety. Every match is different, and every season brings new twists.