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The IPL 2019 Is a Few Weeks Away: Here's Everything You Need to Know
Cricket fans all over India and the world are counting the days to the opening of the 2019 Vivo Indian Premier League on March 23
Cricket fans all over India and the world are counting the days to the opening of the 2019 Vivo Indian Premier League on March 23. The 12th season of the professional Twenty20 cricket tournament will start a little earlier than its usual April schedule due to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and will be played entirely in India contrary to rumors that it will be moved to another location due to a clash with the elections.
Now that the new season of cricket's premier league is only a few weeks away, here's everything that fans and bettors need to know about the upcoming tournament:
All matches will still be held entirely in India.
With the General Elections in India taking place between April and May, cricket fans saw a potential clash in schedules, which led to speculations that this year's Indian Premier League will be held in another country because it already happened before.
In 2009, the full season of the IPL was played outside the country when the Deccan Chargers took the title against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in a match played at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. The first half of the 2014 IPL season was also moved to the United Arab Emirates due to a clash with the General Elections.
But this time around, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the governing body for the IPL, confirmed that all matches would be held entirely in the country with each team playing four matches, two home and two away, except for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals that will be playing five matches each.
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings has some tough competition ahead.
Before the start of the 2018 IPL season, no one really vouched for the Chennai Super Kings to win the title saying that it is a team of old horses who cannot go up against the newer and more energetic players. But MS Dhoni, Dayudu, Shane Watson and Du Plessis proved that old horses can still play when they pulled off stellar performances to take the title home for the third time. This year, CSK is set on getting back-to-back titles, but they will have some tough competition ahead.
The Mumbai Indians may be their closest competitor this season being one of the most balanced teams in the IPL with Rohit Sharma leading the squad. The Kolkata Knight Riders is another strong contender. Although they were saddled with injuries last season, which made it hard for them to get to the playoffs, they are now stronger than ever with Captain Dinesh Karthik leading them and trusted all-rounders Andre Russell and Sunil Naraine rallying the squad.
Of course, there is the Sunrisers Hyderabad that came up short on winning the title last year mostly due to the ban on their key batsman and Captain David Warner. This year, the team is looking to rally for the title once again using their deadly combo of ace batsman Kane Williamson and opener Shikhar Dhawan.
The IPL is now bigger than ever—and it comes with some huge pressure.
There was a time when the IPL was just an ordinary domestic cricket tournament. But after eleven seasons, several championships and some of the best cricket players in the world joining its teams, the IPL is now the biggest domestic Twenty20 event in the world—and with that comes the pressure to make it better every season.
Aside from adjusting to the schedule of the Indian General Elections in April or May and the ICC World Cup in June, the BCCI also needs to plan everything carefully because there is no room for errors when every franchise invests more than Rs150 crore to operate a team. Sponsors, rights owners and broadcasters also invest a lot of time and money to make the IPL the best cricket event in India and the world, not to mention that thousands of cricket fans are relying on the BCCI to give them the best experience.
The betting war is on for cricket fans.
The 12th season of the IPL also means one thing for cricket fans: it's time for IPL betting once again. Betrally India has been an institution for IPL betting over the years, offering expert betting predictions and tips for every team playing for the IPL to help bettors put their money where they can get the most value. So, if you're one of those who like to bet on the IPL, make sure to check out Betrally India for the most useful information on IPL betting.
