Indian Premier League Predictions & Tips

The introduction of T20 cricket leagues across the globe has revolutionised the gentleman’s game. Be it the T20 Blast (England and Wales), the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), or the Big Bash League (BBL) – every professional league has its own charm and pull. 

One tournament that stands out however is the Indian Premier League (IPL). Not only is IPL one of the most followed and most attended, it is also the most commercially attractive tournament. The huge following of cricket in India and the money involved makes IPL an attractive destination for the very best players in the world.

To think the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) were never on board for the introduction of T20 cricket! They were reluctant starters in the inaugural T20 World Cup and sent an experimental team devoid of any stars. Not even the most ardent supporter of Indian cricket could have envisaged a World Cup win, but victory in South Africa changed the contours of T20 franchise cricket.

The IPL was founded in 2008 by Lalit Modi who is credited with making it a global brand. Thought to be a counteract to stop players from hopping on the bandwagon of the Indian Cricket League (ICL), the IPL has been designed as an exciting spectacle to entice sports fans to cricket grounds.

The tournament is played in April and May each year between eight franchises based in eight cities: Bangalore (Royal Challengers Bangalore – RCB), Chennai (Chennai Super Kings – CSK), Hyderabad (Sunrisers Hyderabad – SRH), Mumbai (Mumbai Indians – MI), Mohali (Kings XI Punjab – Kings XI), Kolkata (Kolkata Knight Riders – KKR), Delhi (Delhi Daredevils – DD), and Jaipur (Rajasthan Royals – RR).

Each team plays every other team twice home and away in a round-robin format in the league phase. At the end of the league phase, the top four sides qualify for the playoffs. The top two teams play in the first qualifying match with the winner reaching the IPL final. The third and fourth place teams play in an eliminator match. The loser of the first qualifying match and the winner from the eliminator will then play in the second qualifying match to move to the final.

Teams are encouraged to acquire players through player auction or trading with other teams during trading windows. Apart from these methods, teams can also sign replacement players for unavailable players due to injuries or otherwise. Some of the team composition rules include:

The IPL is attractive for commercial sponsors due to the introduction of strategic timeouts. Four timeouts of 2.5 minutes each are included in a game which are purely to attract advertisements. What a way to commercialise your product! The tournament also awards top players by giving a ‘Purple Cap’ to the top wicket-taker and an ‘Orange Cap’ to the top run-scorer.

So far in its ten years of existence, Mumbai Indians have won the title three times, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders have won two times each. Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and the now-defunct Deccan Chargers have won once each.

The IPL was rocked by controversy in the spot-fixing saga in 2012. A local Indian TV aired a sting operation accusing five players of spot-fixing. Though the players were suspended, the allegations took its toll on the tournament.

It got worse in 2013 when illegal betting charges on Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals owners led to both the clubs being banned for two years. They ended their exile in 2018 and joined the tournament again but the damage is done. Certain pockets of analysts still accuse IPL to be the biggest vehicle of corruption in world cricket.