The playoff system in the Indian Premier League was established in 2011. Before the structural change, the tournament used a standard knockout format consisting of two semi-finals and a final.
The IPL Governing Council revised the system to reward consistency, adopting the Page playoff structure to ensure the top two teams from the league stage received a "second chance" (via Qualifier 1 and 2) if they had a single bad match.
The first-ever Eliminator match was played on May 25, 2011, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. In that historic do-or-die game, the Mumbai Indians defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders by 4 wickets.
Today, Sunrisers Hyderabad will be facing the Rajasthan Royals in the Eminator at New Chandigarh. The winner of the match will play Qualifier 2 against the Gujarat Titans.
Well, do you know, Sunrisers Hyderabad actually played the most number of eliminators in the history of IPL? They played the Eliminators 6th times and then won the trophy in 2016.
Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Mumbai Indians have played the Eliminator 5 times in history.
SRH's Eliminator history
| Year | Match & Result | Venue | Season Fate |
| 2013 | Rajasthan Royals beat SRH by 4 wickets | Delhi | Knocked out in Eliminator: Direct elimination in their debut season, finishing 4th overall. |
| 2016 | SRH beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 22 runs | Delhi | IPL Champions: Defeated Gujarat Lions in Qualifier 2 and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Final to lift the trophy. |
| 2017 | Kolkata Knight Riders beat SRH by 7 wickets (DLS) | Bengaluru | Knocked out in Eliminator: Defending champions were knocked out directly, finishing 4th overall. |
| 2019 | Delhi Capitals beat SRH by 2 wickets | Vizag | Knocked out in Eliminator: Direct elimination in a tight chase, finishing 4th overall. |
| 2020 | SRH beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 6 wickets | Abu Dhabi | Knocked out in Qualifier 2: Lost to Delhi Capitals by 17 runs, finishing 3rd overall. |
| 2026 | SRH vs Rajasthan Royals (Happening Tonight) | New Chandigarh | Ongoing |
RCB's Eliminator history
| Year | Match & Result | Venue | Season Fate |
| 2015 | RCB beat Rajasthan Royals by 71 runs | Pune | Knocked out in Qualifier 2: Lost to Chennai Super Kings by 3 wickets, finishing 3rd overall. |
| 2020 | Sunrisers Hyderabad beat RCB by 6 wickets | Abu Dhabi | Knocked out in Eliminator: Eliminated directly from the tournament, finishing 4th overall. |
| 2021 | Kolkata Knight Riders beat RCB by 4 wickets | Sharjah | Knocked out in Eliminator: Direct elimination, finishing 4th overall. |
| 2022 | RCB beat Lucknow Super Giants by 14 runs | Kolkata | Knocked out in Qualifier 2: Lost to Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets, finishing 3rd overall. |
| 2024 | Rajasthan Royals beat RCB by 4 wickets | Ahmedabad | Knocked out in Eliminator: Terminated their remarkable late-season 6-game winning streak, finishing 4th overall. |
MI's Eliminator History
| Year | Match & Result | Venue | Season Fate |
| 2011 | MI beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 4 wickets | Mumbai | Knocked out in Qualifier 2: Lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 43 runs, finishing 3rd overall. |
| 2012 | Chennai Super Kings beat MI by 38 runs | Bengaluru | Knocked out in Eliminator: Direct elimination, finishing 4th overall. |
| 2014 | Chennai Super Kings beat MI by 7 wickets | Mumbai | Knocked out in Eliminator: Direct elimination, finishing 4th overall. |
| 2023 | MI beat Lucknow Super Giants by 81 runs | Chennai | Knocked out in Qualifier 2: Lost to Gujarat Titans by 62 runs, finishing 3rd overall. |
| 2025 | MI beat Gujarat Titans by 20 runs | Mullanpur | Knocked out in Qualifier 2: Posted a competitive 203/6 but were defeated by Punjab Kings by 5 wickets, finishing 3rd overall. |
KKR's Eliminator History
| Year | Match and Result | Venue | Season Fate |
| 2011 | Mumbai Indians beat KKR by 4 wickets | Mumbai | Knocked out in Eliminator: Direct elimination in the first-ever IPL playoff structure, finishing 4th overall. |
| 2016 | Sunrisers Hyderabad beat KKR by 22 runs | Delhi | Knocked out in Eliminator: Direct elimination after failing to chase 162, finishing 4th overall. |
| 2017 | KKR beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 7 wickets (DLS) | Bengaluru | Knocked out in Qualifier 2: Advanced past the rain-hit Eliminator but lost to Mumbai Indians by 6 wickets, finishing 3rd. |
| 2018 | KKR beat Rajasthan Royals by 25 runs | Kolkata | Knocked out in Qualifier 2: Fell short by 14 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens, finishing 3rd. |
| 2021 | KKR beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 4 wickets | Sharjah | Reached the Final: Staged a historic comeback to reach the grand finale, where they lost to Chennai Super Kings, finishing as Runners-up. |