Even with Gujarat Titans’ (GT) triumph over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Ahmedabad on Thursday—game 42 of IPL 2026—this edition has still stood out for one big reason: the usual run of tight contests at the top has been missing. After 41 matches, the leading quartet have pulled away, sitting on 12 points or more, while the remaining sides have mostly been stuck at eight or fewer. GT’s latest win has brought them within two points of that top group, but the overall picture remains unusually one-sided.
How the points race compares with past seasons
The points table underlines just how early the separation has happened. In IPLs featuring nine or more teams, this is the joint-fastest time that four franchises have reached 12 or above after 41 matches. The only previous instance at this stage came in 2013, when the tournament was contested by nine sides.
In that 2013 campaign, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), RCB, Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) were all sitting on 12-plus points following 41 fixtures. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were fifth on 10. RCB ultimately missed out on the top four, with SRH going through instead, while the other three made the playoffs. Because it was a nine-team competition, every club had already played at least nine matches after the 41st game—RCB having completed ten by then.
This time, with the league featuring 10 teams, the rhythm has been different. After 41 rounds, only two teams have completed nine matches, while the remaining sides are on eight. That scheduling detail adds context to the early points spread, but it doesn’t change the headline: the top has looked dominant for far longer than usual.
In a 10-team IPL, the earliest prior occasion when four sides had crossed the 12-point mark before the current season’s stage came after 45 games, in 2025. At that point, RCB, GT, MI and Delhi Capitals (DC) were all level on 12 points, yet two teams were close—Punjab Kings (PBKS) on 11 and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on 10. DC had played eight matches then (as had GT), while MI and RCB had already played 10. Still, DC suffered a difficult stretch in the second half and ended up missing qualification, allowing PBKS to take their place.
Looking at broader history, the 2022 season took 49 matches for four teams to reach 12-plus points. In every other edition, it required 50 or more games, with 2023 taking as long as 56 matches to bring four teams into that bracket.
Why GT’s win matters—and what’s next
With four teams breaking away early, GT’s victory over RCB has been valuable for the league’s overall momentum. For the final stretch of the league stage to remain engaging, more teams sitting in the lower half will need to spring upsets against the top four.
A win for DC against RR on Friday would provide one such jolt, and the same applies to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beating SRH. GT can also influence the race at home on Sunday, where another home win against PBKS would take them to 12 points and push them firmly into the leading group.
On the other hand, if the current top quartet keep stacking wins at their usual rate, the last couple of weeks may feel far less dramatic—leaving the only real uncertainty to be the final positions for the top two.
