In less than 24 hours’ time, the second largest sporting event in the world will kick off. That’s right, the TATA Indian Premier League is now the second most valuable league in the world, with the IPL set to become the biggest event in the global sporting calendar in the foreseeable future as well. For now, seven weeks of cricketing heaven begin in India.
With ten teams from across the nation competing for the title of IPL 2023 Champion, there will be plenty to watch this year. Big names such as Ben Stokes and Virat Kohli will go head to head, while rule changes and fresh faces will keep spectators on their toes. Can the Gujarat Titans back up their dream start in 2022 that saw them claim the IPL 2022 title or will one of the old hands bounce back to get another victory?
We break down all the best bets to make on the IPL 2023 with the latest odds from bookmaker William Hill.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: March 30th, 8:00 P.M. (GMT)
Looking at the outright winner odds from bookie William Hill, it’s clear that this will be a tight season of IPL. The gap between the No. 1 favourite side and the least favourite is only 5.00 in the betting odds, indicating the nature of T20 cricket—anyone can win. It is last year’s winners, however, that lead the betting with the Gujarat Titans paying 6.00 to win the IPL 2023. Next, the Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians are second equal on 7.00 before the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore round out the top five at 7.50 in the betting odds.
With all of the squad changes and the fickle nature of franchise cricket, it’s tough to pick an outright winner ahead of the season start. However, there are a few clues for us to go on. First, the reason why the Gujarat Titans are so favoured to back up their 2022 success is simply the balance of the side. They have an in-form, big hitting opener in the likes of Shubman Gill, an experienced international leader in Kane Williamson, plus the all-round ability of captain Hardik Pandya, combined with the pace of Mohammed Shami and guile of Rashid Khan.
The Gujarat Titans have put together a fearsome combination and will take some beating this year.
The two sides most likely to give the Gujarat Titans a run for their money this year are the Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Mumbai is the most successful IPL team in history, winning five titles in the past 15 seasons but had a poor season in 2022 that saw them fail to make the playoffs. With the likes of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Tim David, Mumbai is full of big hitting, complimented by the all-round ability of Cameron Green and raw pace of Jofra Archer. Provided they don’t sustain any more injuries, it’s hard to see MI not making a deep run this year.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore have also put together a strong squad with acquisitions at the IPL auction 2023. RCB made a good fist of the 2022 season, falling in the Qualifier 2 Final, and will be eager to go further this year. They have the benefit of Faf du Plessis opening with Virat Kohli, supported by the middle order work of Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik, and fast bowling of Josh Hazlewood alongside Mohammed Siraj.
