Less than a week after the international sides clubbed together for the top T20 showpiece it is time for the domestic players to do the same as the latest Indian Premier League season is on the horizon.
Once again eight horses go to post in this manic T20 showpiece which was won by the Mumbai Indians last year. We have two new teams in the tournament this year because the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were banned from entering. The Gujarat Lions and the Rising Pune Supergiants replace them.
Format
The various IPL seasons have had different formats but we appear to be settled on the current one now. All eight sides play each other home and away to comprise of 14 group matches and from there the top four will progress to the playoffs.
The top two in the table battle it out to go directly to the final while third and fourth face off in a knockout clash. The winner of the knockout match will move through to face the loser of the first playoff game for the right to face the winner of that first game in the final.
Favourites
The Royal Challengers Bangalore are the favourites to win the title this season and with the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Mitchell Starc, Shane Watson and Samuel Badree in their ranks why wouldn’t they be?
On batting power alone the Challengers would be almost untouchable but this format isn’t about just that. You need balance and a good core of Indian players with only four overseas players allowed to play and that is where Bangalore could struggle.
Mumbai Indians are the second favourites to defend their title but much of their chances will rest on the form and fitness of Lasith Malinga and Kieron Pollard although when both are fit the shape of their side will be interesting with Corey Anderson, Lendl Simmons and Jos Buttler all fighting for places.
The edge that Mumbai have on Bangalore comes in the bowling attack where Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Harbhajan Singh provide a solid Indian core which means they can fill their side with the explosive overseas batsmen they have purchased. They’ll go close again.
The new side Rising Pune Supergiants are the third favourites in the betting. All will depend on how they settle and bed in but the core of the Chennai Super Kings side is intact here which should help them.
Stephen Fleming is the coach of this side while MS Dhoni captains it and they have managed to snap up the likes of Ravi Ashwin, Albie Morkel and Faf du Plessis from the Super Kings. Kevin Pietersen is an eye catching signing while Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith will be vying for spots in the batting line up.
Former champions Kolkata Knight Riders come next in the betting. They have had a very settled side over recent times and it will be interesting to see how Sunil Narine goes now that he is allowed to bowl again.
We’ve seen the Knight Riders squeeze the life out of sides with Shakib-al-Hasan, Piyush Chawla and Narine all very good and very economical spinners and when they do go for runs the likes of Andre Russell, Shakib, Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan can batter down any target.
The rest
Gujurat Lions are the other new side and in truth they could be anything but they have the other half of the Chennai squad which is now defunct. Suresh Raina will skipper the side and he’ll lead his former teammates Dwayne Bravo, Ravi Jadeja, Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith into battle.
The Lions also have deep bowling options in the form of Praveen Tambe, Dale Steyn and the new death sensation Andrew Tye whole Aaron Finch and James Faulkner bring a real Australian influence to the site. If they settle to begin with they could be fantastic but while they struggle to get the right overseas balance they could be there for the taking.
Sunrisers Hyderabad will hope to go well under Dave Warner but whether they do or not might well depend on how they balance their team. They seem a little too overseas heavy for my liking with Warner joined by the likes of Trent Boult, Ben Cutting, Moises Henriques, Eoin Morgan, Mustafiqur Rahman and Kane Williamson.
Only a maximum of four of those can play at any one time so there will be even more emphasis on their Indian players to deliver but in Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuvraj Singh they have three of the best in that regard.
Kings XI Punjab propped up the field last year a season after they nearly landed the title and that has brought about a change in captain. David Miller now leads the side but they still look like they will rely on Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Johnson a little too much. The latter having not played much cricket in recent times has to be a concern.
On the flip side they do have some solid Indian options not least Axar Patel who has been a revelation in his short time in this tournament but you sense the title is beyond this lot.
Finally we have the Delhi Daredevils who are another side who have a new captain. Theirs is Zaheer Khan when he’s fit and the veteran left arm seamer has quite a young, dynamic looking side at his disposal.
That is a side which could include Sam Billings, Quinton de Kock, Carlos Brathwaite and Sanju Samson not to mention for experienced campaigners in JP Duminy, Chris Morris – the man they paid $1m for, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Imran Tahir.
Summary
The outright market isn’t one I particularly like betting on before a ball is bowled in this tournament. I’ve no idea why but I generally have better fortunes assessing the market as we go along and the fact we only lose half the field after the first stage allows room for value hunting later in the piece.
That said we have to start with every market somewhere and I’m going to start with a small bet on the Kolkata Knight Riders. I like the balance of their side and it is a massive boost that Sunil Narine can bowl.
They have a wealth of spin options on what could be some tired tracks after the recent World T20 but they don’t lack for quick bowlers on spicier decks. Their batting has glue mixed with power and while the all-round talent of Jacques Kallis will be missed I believe they have enough to overcome that and go full out for another title.
Tips
Back Kolkata Knight Riders to win Indian Premier League for a 2/10 stake at 8.50 with BetVictor
