The competition in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is reaching new heights as each season passes by. Since 2008 to 2004, the league has grown in leaps and bounds. Not only in terms of monetary benefits, the tournament has completely changed the dynamics of how T20 cricket is played. At the start of the league, when someone batted at a strike rate of around 150, he was considered as the best T20 batter. However, now even a strike rate of 150 seems slow, which speaks about how things have changed in the IPL.

The IPL started as an 8-team tournament but now it is a 10-team event, which speaks a lot about how the league is growing and is gaining huge popularity. Barring, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, all the teams have won the title.

As the IPL starts, one of the biggest hurdles for the team is to reach the playoffs. The top four teams in the points table play in the knockout stages of the tournament. While some failed to handle the pressure there, few excelled and went on to win the championship. However, with the kind of competition that is there, reaching playoffs in itself is the biggest achievement for any team. In this piece, we take a look at which team has played the most playoffs in IPL.
 

Chennai Super Kings is the team that has played most playoffs in the IPL. The Men in Yellow have qualified for the knockout stage of the tournament for a record 12 times. They have reached the playoffs in almost everyone season they have played. They missed out on spots in 2020 and 2022. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side has also won the title joint-most times in the league, with 5 trophies under their belt. The success came under MS Dhoni, who relinquished the captaincy ahead of the IPL 2024.

Chennai Super Kings has played most playoffs in the Indian Premier League. As mentioned earlier, they have achieved the feat 12 times in the league. However, their arch rivals Mumbai Indians are not far behind. The Hardik Pandya-led side has made it into playoffs for the 10 times. Out of that they have won the title 5 times and are the joint most successful team in the league. All their five title wins came under Rohit Sharma, who was removed as leader ahead of IPL 2024.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad sit in the same position in terms of most playoffs in IPL. Both the teams have qualified for the playoffs 8 times so far in the league. While the Bengaluru-based franchise is yet to win the tournament, the Hyderabad-based team won titles twice in 2009 and 2016. Notably, the 2009 win came for Deccan Chargers, which was later turned into Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Kolkata Knight Riders are currently fifth on the list of teams with the most playoffs appearances in the IPL. They have made it into the business end of the tournament 7 times in the league so far. Out of the 7 times, they have gone on to win the tournament twice as well. Their two titles came under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir in 2012 and 2014.

Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals have made it into the IPL playoffs 6 and 4 times respectively. While the Delhi-based franchise is yet to win the title in the league, Rajasthan made an impact in the first season of the tournament. They were the winners of the first edition of the tournament as they won the title under the leadership of the late Shane Warne in 2008.

Teams in Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants have played and made playoffs twice. While PBKS has been struggling to win the title since 2008, GT and LSG have been two consistent teams in the tournament. They have played just two seasons in the league and both have made it into the playoffs twice with Gujarat winning in 2022.