The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the biggest sporting events in India, and aruably the biggest T20 tournament in the world. There's extra interest this year in Australia with the 2018 IPL to be shown live on Fox Sports into Australia for the first time. The Indian Premier League will kick start from April 7 and we preview the games coming our way this weekend.
2018 Indian Premier League Week 1 Betting Tips
Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings - April 8th 12:30am AEST
The defending champions, the Mumbai Indians, have gone about their auction business with a serious strategy. Not only have they retained their core, they purchased the likes of Pat Cummins and Mustafizur Rahman to get a very distinct and aggressive outlook to the side. Their middle order is a worry, but Mumbai look good to start their campaign well.
The Chennai Super Kings are back in the ring after a two-year spot-fixing ban. Other than that, nothing else has changed – MS Dhoni is at the helm, and seasoned campaigners like Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, and Faf du Plessis make it a strong side. Questions remain on their ‘dynamism factor’, but never discount Chennai and MSD!
Mumbai's top order look dangerous so we'll back them to get off to a quick start.
Mumbai Highest First 6 Overs
$1.70
Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils - April 8th 8:30pm AEST
Kings XI have gone for a major revamp in the auction by going for a new captain in Ravichandran Ashwin and for excellent domestic picks like KL Rahul and Yuvraj Singh. The presence of Andrew Tye is a huge plus for a side looking to break their jinx this year.
Another side that is looking to break the jinx is Delhi Daredevils who have roped in Ricky Ponting to be their coach. The presence of exceptional Under-19 youngsters gives them a distinct young look, but it is the return of captain Gautam Gambhir that is catching all attention. Will he mark his return with a win?
Andrew Tye Most Wickets Delhi
$4.00
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - April 9th 12:30am AEST
KKR are always a glamorous side and the presence of T20 superstars like Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, and Andre Russell makes them one of the teams to watch. New captain Dinesh Karthik would be eager to step into the giant departing shoes of Gambhir while the loss of Mitchell Starc to injury is a blow.
RCB have had more misses than hits in their IPL history, but the presence of Virat Kohli gives them great edge. The Indian captain has refreshed his batteries by earning a break from cricket and should be itching to get back among the runs. Then there is the little matter of superstar AB de Villiers and the new T20 sensations Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal.
