The 2017 Indian Premier League will be the tenth edition of the popular cricket tournament. The event is held annually in India and is based on the shortened, Twenty20 format of cricket. Each team has a total of 20 overs to score as many runs as possible and this leads to some very exciting action.
The 2017 IPL will run from the 5th of April and finish on the 20th of May. The tournament is known for attracting the best cricket players from around the world and this year is no different. The players will each play for one of the eight franchise teams, which include:
Delhi Daredevils
Gujart Lions
Kings XI Punjab
Kolkata Knight Riders
Mumbai Indians
Rising Pune Supergiants
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Each of these teams contested the tournament last year, so there are no debutants taking part in 2017. The league stage of the competition will see each team face the seven other teams on a round-robin basis and the top four teams, with all 56 games complete, will progress to the play-off stage.
The first match of the play-offs will be between the top two teams with the winner going through to the final. The loser will get a second chance by playing the winner of the match between the third and fourth place teams. Therefore, finishing in the top two league places guarantees you two chances to make the final, which is a great incentive. The final of the 2017 IPL will take place at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.
A total of thirteen teams have contested the IPL since it was established with three teams winning the tournament twice and three teams having won the tournament once. The defending champions are Sunrisers Hyderabad who won their first IPL title last season defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final. They became on the sixth different team to win the IPL and the first outside of the Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians since 2009.
【IPL 2016 Final Highlights】
With Sunrisers Hyderabad breaking the stranglehold of the three teams mentioned above, will they start a reign of dominance in the IPL by winning the 2017 tournament? If not, could we see another team win the competition for the first time?
Only once has the same team won the IPL for two consecutive seasons and that was the Chennai Super Kings in 2011. Sunrisers Hyderabad caused a bit of an upset winning the IPL last year, especially considering they lacked a world class spin bowler. The powers that be have decided to stick to the same principle this year and they have a strong pace attack including Mustafizur Rahman, Ashish Nehra and Bhuv Kumar. David Warner will remain as captain and having scored over 800 runs in 17 matches last year, he will be hugely important. However, Eoin Morgan will be missed and it is a huge ask to win back-to-back IPL titles. Priced at 6/1 to win the 2017 IPL with bet365, this is about right.
Looking at the personnel of the remaining seven teams, the two standout teams in this year’s IPL are the Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders. The Mumbai Indians cover all the bases of a team equipped to win the IPL and the balance is superb. They have players capable of scoring fast runs at the start of an inning, a strong middle order, good all-rounders, a decent spinner and fast bowlers who can see out matches. Last year, they failed to make the play-offs and their batting was poor, something which surely will not be repeated this time around. The only problem the Mumbai Indians may encounter is the lack of fresh fast bowlers with the likes of Mitchell Johnson and Lasith Malinga approaching the end of their careers. Still, at 11/2 with sportsbook bet365, it’s difficult not to fancy the Mumbai Indians.
【IPL 2017 Outright Winner Odds】
※ Current Odds Date & Time: April 3, 10:00 a.m. (GMT)
<IPL 2017 Latest Odds (bet365) >
Offering better value in the betting than the Mumbai Indians are the Kolkata Knight Riders. Similar to the Indians, they have a solid lineup and look well equipped to go far in the 2017 IPL. Their fast bowling attack is younger and features Nathan Coulter-Nile, Umesh Yadav and Trent Boult, all of whom are capable of taking plenty of wickets. They also boast a quality spinner in Sunil Narine. The key for the Kolkata Knight Riders could be the performance of Chris Lynn with the bat. The Australian enjoyed a sensational Big Bash tournament in his home country and will be eager to show the rest of the world what he can do. His record equalling eleven sixes for the Perth Scorchers against the Brisbane Heat will live long in the memory and Kolkata fans will be hoping to see more of them same. Kolkata Knight Riders are 7/1 with bet365 to win the 2017 IPL.
The favourites to win the 2017 IPL with bet365 are the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Three times in the history of the IPL the Royal Challengers Bangalore have made the final and lost. On many an occasion they have started the competition as favourites and failed to live up to the billing. Unfortunately, it could be more of the same this year.
They have plenty of star names on their squad including Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers but with Virat Kohli struggling for fitness and Kannur Lokesh Rahul missing the tournament with injury, Royal Challengers Bangalore could come up short once more. At 4/1 with online bookie bet365, their odds do not represent good value.
From the favourites to win the 2017 IPL to the rank outsiders and Kings XI Punjab are out at 9/1 with bet365 to taste success this year. One statistic tells you everything you need to know and Kings XI Punjab have won only seven games in the past two years. They will probably need more than that to finish with a fighting chance to make the playoffs, meaning they must double their total of wins from the previous two years to stand any chance of progressing from the league stage. It’s not that there is no talent in the team but they just cannot seem to get it together.
Elsewhere, the Delhi Daredevils have been hit by the withdrawal of JP Duminy and Quinton de Kock has been struggling to overcome a finger injury. Both players would probably have left before the playoffs anyway, leaving the Daredevils short in the batting department.
The Gujarat Lions have more than enough at the top of the order to score some fantastic totals. However, Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum and Jason Roy could see their best efforts mean nothing as they find it tough going in the field.
Finally, the Rising Pune Supergiants, who finished seventh last year, could be in for another tough time in 2017. They will be hoping Ben Stokes can repay the huge faith they have placed in the Englishman with some match-winning performances but with a weak looking pace attack, the Supergiants will struggle to progress from the group stage again this season.
【IPL 2017 Top Batsman Outright Winner Odds】
※ Current Odds Date & Time: April 3, 10:00 a.m. (GMT)
Looking at potential stars with the bat and ball, bet365 has Virat Kohli as the favourite to finish as the top batsman with Royal Challengers Bangalore priced at 5/1. However, the Indian is still working his way back to full fitness and this could leave him short of runs. Looking further down the odds and Gautam Gambhir makes an interesting selection at 20/1. The Kolkata Knight Rider captain is 35 years old but finished third for total runs last year and could lead his team to glory in 2017.
There are some exciting bowlers to watch in the 2017 IPL. Sunil Narine of the Kolkata Knight Riders starts the tournament as favourite priced at 8/1. The West Indian off-spinner will be hugely important to his team’s chances of going all the way this season. With a young pace bowling attack, Narine’s experience will come in useful but there is better value to enjoy elsewhere in this market.
【IPL 2017 Top Bowler Outright Winner Odds】
※ Current Odds Date & Time: April 3, 10:00 a.m. (GMT)
Mustafizur Rahman won the Emerging Player of the Tournament award in the 2016 IPL and will be looking to build on his experience. The Bangladesh fast bowler finished with 17 wickets as the Sunrisers Hyderabad went on to win the IPL title. His team may not make the final in 2017 but being another year older, wiser and recovered from injury, Rahman has the potential to finish the season as top bowler and can be backed at 20/1 with bet365. There was some concern about his availability for the tournament, which may have pushed Rahman’s price out but he is due to meet up with the team on April 7th.
【IPL 2016: Mustafizur Rahman’s Wickets Highlights】
There is no doubt where the value lies in this year’s IPL. The Kolkata Knight Riders have a well-balanced squad full of top quality players. Add Chris Lynn to the mix and they have the potential to post some huge totals. With the talent to defend scores well in the field, the Kolkata Knight Riders make a great bet to win the 2017 Indian Premier League.
