IPL 2024 groups: How have teams been divided into groups this time?

The ten teams in IPL 2024 have been divided into two groups of five each. Here is how the teams have been divided.

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Why the need for groups?

In the 2022 edition, the Indian Premier League expanded to ten teams as the Lucknow Super Giants and the Gujarat Titans joined the existing eight. Since the league phase is played in a home-and-away double round-robin format, this would have led to 90 matches in the first round alone.

To counter this, the teams were split into two groups of five each, as they had been in 2010, the only other season with ten teams. Each team will now play all five teams in the other group twice, home and away, and every other team in the same group once each.

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For example, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians are in Group A, while Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Group B in 2024. Kolkata will play both Chennai and Bengaluru home and away – four matches in all – as will Mumbai. However, Kolkata will face Mumbai once, as will Chennai and Bengaluru.

As a result, every team will play 14 league matches – the same they had to when it used to be an eight-team home-and-away double round-robin league. However, the number of games in the league stage will increase from 56 to 74.

The top two teams will proceed to the Qualifier 1, the winner of which will qualify for the final. The third- and fourth-placed sides will clash in the Eliminator. These will be followed by the Qualifier 2, which will feature the winner of the Eliminator and the side that loses Qualifier 1. The triumphant teams in the two Qualifiers will play in the final.