If you have looked at the IPL 2026 schedule and noticed that the Kolkata Knight Riders face Mumbai Indians twice, but only play Royal Challengers Bengaluru once, you are not imagining things.
To keep the tournament at a manageable 74 matches (instead of a gruelling 94), the BCCI has retained the Virtual Group format. Here is the simple breakdown of how the math works and why your favourite rivalry might be a one-night-only event this season.
The 10-team split: Group A vs Group B
The ten franchises are divided into two virtual groups of five. These groups aren’t for the standings, there is still only one unified points table, but they dictate who plays whom.
Why is it done this way?
Player Workload: A full double round-robin (where everyone plays everyone twice) would require 94 matches. In an already packed international calendar, that was deemed too long.
The one table in points table: Despite the groups, every single point goes into one massive leaderboard. This creates a unique dynamic where a team in Group A is effectively competing for a playoff spot against a team in Group B that they might be playing twice.
Fresh rivalries: By reversing the groups periodically, the BCCI ensures that fans get to see different sets of teams playing two matches, keeping the matchups fresh.
Every game counts but the weight of the teams that meet each other twice, especially if it’s a game like MI vs CSK, is massive. If a team has a poor record against their cross-group opponents, they face an uphill battle to make the Top 4, as they have to play those kryptonite teams twice!