The Indian Premier League is one of the biggest events on the annual sporting calendar.
Cricket's top stars head out to India for an extravaganza that sees eight teams face off against each other over a period of several weeks.
With so much interest in IPL betting, we have put together this complete guide. If you are interested in learning about betting on the Indian Premier League, this is the place to be.
The Indian Premier League is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in India that takes place from March to May each year. The 2021 Indian Premier League is set to take place between April and May but has now been suspended indefinitely amid concerns over the coronavirus levels in the country.
The 2020 IPL was also delayed due to the pandemic and took place from the 19th September - 10 of November 2020 in the United Arab Emirates.
Betting on the IPL is legal on all of the best online cricket betting sites on BettingGuide.com. We recommend using one of our top three online cricket betting sites, bet365, Betway or Unibet.
What Is the IPL?
The IPL stands for the Indian Premier League and is the biggest annual cricket competition that takes place anywhere on the planet. Founded in 2008, the IPL is a showcase for the best Twenty20 players from around the world.
The IPL was preceded by the Indian Cricket League (ICL), which did not have the backing of either the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) or the International Cricket Council (ICC).
It was then announced by the BCCI that it would be setting up a franchise-based system. Players are added to IPL teams through an auction system, with the world's top players receiving vast amounts of money in order to play in the tournament.
Over the decade or so since the launch of the IPL, it has gone from strength to strength. The IPL stands alone as the top global T20 league, ahead of the likes of the Ram Slam in South Africa, the Caribbean Premier League across the West Indies and Australia's annual Big Bash.
IPL betting apps continue to get better every year with a lot of Indian sports lovers have downloaded a range of them onto their smartphones and tablets over the last few months.
What Is Twenty20?
The IPL is one of the top reasons why Twenty20 has become such a popular cricket format.
In sharp contrast to Test cricket, which is played over a period of five days, T20 is a shootout that sees both teams bat for just 20 overs.
This means a match can be played in around three hours, although there is no time limit for the IPL and matches in the tournament can sometimes stretch to around the four-hour mark.
Despite T20 seeming very different to Test cricket on the face of it, the rules are much the same. Each team has 10 wickets and they have to score as many runs as they can.
At the end of the game, the team that scores the most runs from their 20 overs wins
What Format Is the Ipl and What Are Its Rules?
The eight teams that make up the IPL play in a double round-robin league and playoffs. Here are the current franchises that play in the competition:
Chennai Super Kings
Delhi Capitals
Kings XI Punjab
Kolkata Knight Riders
Mumbai Indians
Rajasthan Royals
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Apart from Sunrisers Hyderabad, the seven teams above were all in the very first IPL in 2008.
For each match, it is usually possible to pick from markets like over/under run totals for each batter on a team too. Anyone watching the match who believes a player is set for a good day can therefore back them to score more than a particular number of runs, while it is also possible to bet on the player of the match on most of the top IPL betting apps in India these days as well.
Betting Markets Available for Ipl Betting
A wide range of betting markets for the IPL are offered at the leading bookmakers in India.
Here are some of the betting markets we like to look out for when betting on the IPL.
Match winner
Match handicap
Top bowler
Top batsman
Most runs
Most wickets
Man of the match
Ante-post betting markets are also offered for the IPL. This means Indians can bet on the winner of the tournament weeks, or even months before it starts.
At the other end of the scale is live betting on the IPL. This is becoming a lot more popular. Twenty20 is arguably the best form of cricket for live betting. This is due to the fact the momentum of a match can swing wildly from one team to another in a matter of moments.
How to Place Bets on the Indian Premier League
We have already covered the best betting sites in India for the IPL, as well as some of the top markets that are available to bet on.
But how do you actually place a bet on the IPL? Well, the first thing you need to do is decide what you want to bet on.
This can be as simple as predicting which team wins an IPL match. Above, we have already talked about some of the best markets for IPL betting in India. Do not rush the decision over which IPL bets you want to place. We will have some tips for IPL betting later on in this guide.
Then, you need to sign in to your account on your chosen IPL betting site. If you do not have an account yet, you need to get one! This process is easy and should not take long to complete.
IPL betting sites in India have various payment methods available to use, including these:
Credit cards
E-wallets
Prepaid cards
Cryptocurrencies
Bank transfer
Instant banking
Not all of the above payment methods will be offered by each betting site in India. Some of the options from the list may be missing.