Mumbai Indians won the title after defeating Rising Pune Supergiant in the final in 2017. The latter and Gujarat Lions have been in the IPL for the last two years, but will no longer take part.
Rohit Sharma led side have won the competition for a record three times and are looking to further extend it this season. Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab are the only three franchises who are yet to win the IPL so far after 10 seasons. CSK and Kolkata Knight Riders have won it on two occasions.
The top four teams will qualify for the Play-Off, where there will be three matches to decide the two finalists. The first and the second place team will play Qualifier 1, while third and fourth place team will face each other in Eliminator.
The losing side of Eliminator will be knocked out of the competition. However, the winner of Eliminator and the losing team of Qualifier 1 will play against each other in Qualifier 2. The winner of Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2 will face each other in the final.
Below is the 2018 Indian Premier League Points table:
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | NR | Tie | Points | Net Run Rate |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18 | +0.319 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | +0.383 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 14 | -0.091 |
| Mumbai Indians | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 12 | +0.384 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 12 | +0.264 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 12 | -0.403 |
| Kings XI Punjab | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 12 | -0.490 |
| Delhi Daredevils | 12 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -0.478 |
