Sportsbooks had the defending champions Mumbai Indians, three time IPL winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad who were the 2016 champions and runner-up in 2019 as the favorites to win the 2020 IPL.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the richest T20 domestic cricketing league in the world and each year witnesses a flurry of betting activity during the tournament. The 2020 season has witnessed a higher surge in cricket betting action as the IPL due to a number of reasons.
Some of these reasons include the IPL being shifted from India to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over COVID-19 concerns, cricket fans being starved of action for months due to the global lockdown and the growing popularity of sports betting sites that offer IPL betting.
The IPL commenced on Sep 19 and threw up a number of surprises for fans during the first two weeks of action. Bettors who had placed money on teams like CSK and Mumbai Indians were caught off-guard as the two premier teams in the competition struggled to win.
CSK won their first game but ended up losing the next three games while Mumbai Indians lost 2 out of their first 5 games. Sunrisers Hyderabad looked out of sorts and ended up losing 3 out of their first 5 games.
While it is usual for top IPL teams to have an off day, bettors are concerned with the form and intent of the top teams. CSK does not look as dominant as it has in the past and that’s because their captain MS Dhoni is struggling with the bat and in the field. Mumbai Indians have not been consistent and hence bettors are now looking to back some of the teams that started the tournament at the bottom of the list.
Delhi Capitals have had a fantastic time at the IPL so far and currently sit on top of the points table, having won 4 out of their 5 matches. Their success can be attributed to the team playing as a unit but special praise must be given to the way Shreyas Iyer has captained the side.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have surprised a lot of people as they usually perform poorly in the IPL but this time around are in third place having won 3 out of their 5 matches. So if you are looking to bet on IPL games this week, think about putting your money on RCB and Delhi Capitals.
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