Showing posts with label Indian Premier League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian Premier League. Show all posts
Monday, March 28, 2022

Who is the GOAT of T20 cricket?


Posted by Q at Monday, March 28, 2022 No Comments
The plethora of T20 leagues being played around the world, coupled with bilateral T20 internationals leading up to the T20 World Cup taking place every other year, have resulted in T20 cricket becoming the most popular format of the game.

T20 cricket has created a whole new lot of attacking batsmen and really smart bowlers that have elevated the game to another level.

Established international players have left their mark in T20 leagues around the world, and on the flip side T20 leagues have been feeders into the international stage with a long list of cricketers that have become household names due to their exploits in T20 leagues like the IPL, PSL, and the Big Bash.

With the 15th season of IPL kicking off recently, some legends of the game sat down to discuss who they think is greatest T20 player ever. 

Take a look at the video where Betway asks Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bishop, Akash Chopra, Rassie van der Dussen, and Lungi Ngidi about the GOAT of T20 cricket.

In the video, these legends of the game discuss the most destructive batsmen, the most lethal death bowlers, the smartest mystery spinners, and the most agile fielders.


Who in your opinion fits the bill in the above mentioned categories? Do your choices match those of Pietersen and the rest?

Rest assured, KP, Chopra, Bishop, VD Dussen, and Ngidi have taken the same names that we all have on our minds.

With the IPL underway, you will definitely catch some of these T20 legends in action.

Betway's IPL betting odds have Mumbai Indians as the favorites to win the title. No surprise there given the franchise has won more IPL titles than any other team in the league's history.

But I tell you what - any one of the names, mentioned in the video above, can take the match away from any team single handedly on their day.

And if that day is the Final, then we can all expect a new IPL champion this season!

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Monday, March 14, 2022

Who can Challenge Mumbai and Chennai in IPL 2022?


Posted by Q at Monday, March 14, 2022 No Comments
The IPL this year will be bigger and better than previous editions with the addition of two new franchises - The Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants.

But can any team really challenge the Mumbai Indians or the Chennai Super Kings?

In the 14 editions of the IPL, these two franchises have won the title a collective 9 times!

Mumbai is leading the race with 5 IPL wins, while Chennai are the reigning champions.

Will these two teams dominate the proceedings once again?

Both these champion teams have a great rivalry too, which will be reignited once again when the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League kicks off.

If you want a dig at an IPL prediction, you would definitely go with one of these two champion teams.

A team that can emerge as a strong contender in 2022, however, is Mumbai's traditional rivals the Delhi Capitals.

They beat Mumbai both times during the 2021 edition, and this year have a number of players among their ranks that can take away matches single handedly.

Starting with their captain Rishabh Pant to their foreign contingent of David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, and Tim Seifert.

The new franchise, Lucknow Super Giants, also look like a very strong team who can pose a threat to the Mumbai and Chennai.

Lucknow have installed KL Rahul as their captain. KL Rahul has been one of the leading run scorers in the last two editions of the IPL.

Even though it is Lucknow's first ever IPL this year, they are a strong outfit.

Players like Evin Lewis, Quinton de Kock, Jason Holder, Marcus Stoinis, and Krunal Pandya are T20 stalwarts and can take the game away from anyone on their day.

The other new franchise, Gujarat Titans, can also be a surprise package.

They surprised everyone when they announced Hardik Pandya as their captain. Hardik Panday has never led any side in any format ever before, and this IPL 2022 will be his first stint leading a team.

Pandya is one of the most confident cricketers around and he will surely instill the same in his team. I believe. they will be a force to reckon with in this IPL.

IPL is undoubtedly one of the most exciting T20 leagues around and we can anticipate some thrilling contests when it kicks off at the end of this month.

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Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Kevin Pietersen talks about his IPL Experience


Posted by Q at Tuesday, March 17, 2020 Pitched (15)
The IPL season will be here soon and all the franchise owners, players, and fans are waiting for it with a lot of anticipation. The Indian Premier League is nothing short of a grand cricket carnival, an entertainment extravaganza, which everyone looks forward to every year.

While the fans wait to watch their favorite cricketers, the cricketers themselves look forward to playing alongside some of the greats of the game.

Betway recently spoke to Kevin Pietersen about his IPL experience, in which he has made some very interesting observations while describing the league as spectacular, gripping, and captivating.

Pietersen started his IPL stint in 2009 with the Royal Challengers Bangalore and even captained them, a team that included stalwarts like Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, Chris Gayle, and Virender Sehwag.

In the later part of his career he moved to Delhi Daredevils, now known as the Delhi Capitals.

KP has scored 1,001 runs in 36 IPL matches at an average of 35.8 and a strike rate of 134.7 with a highest score of 103.

At one point he was the most expensive player bought at the IPL auction.

Speaking to Betway about his IPL experience, KP reminisced about the interaction with other greats, the pressure, team spirit, captaincy, and what it means to play and watch cricket in India.



He says that he always wanted to be part of the IPL because as a professional one should not be behind the pacemakers of the game, and back in 2008-2009 the pacemaker was the Indian Premier League.

"One could learn from the greats of the game. How they practiced, how they spoke, how they approached the game, how they conducted themselves in team meetings, how meticulous they were in their preparation, how they trained, how they padded up ..."

Hearing KP say this shows the admiration he has for the IPL and what it means for players around the world.

He also spoke about the pressure that the IPL brings on, just due to the fact that franchise owners have invested their millions on a player, which brings with it added responsibility.

The pressure of playing internationals is quite different from the pressure associated with the IPL according to KP. He provides quite an intriguing example and speaks about the difference between walking out to bat at Lord's and walking out to bat for your IPL franchise.

The announcer at Lord's would say "coming out to bat is England's number 4 Kevin Pietersen".

The announcer at the Wankhede or Ferozshah Kotla would say "coming out to bat is the world's most expensive buy in the IPL auction" and with it there will be banging music and fans jumping and shouting in the stands.

Pietersen's most interesting reveals were about his experience of playing with other stars like Virender Sehwag and a young Virat Kohli when he was just starting out.

About Sehwag, he loved his careless free spirit and how he used to sing while bowlers ran up to bowl and then whack them all over the park. KP calls him a superstar and says some his most fun experiences in the cricket field were with Sehwag.

He goes on to talk about how he always knew that Kohli was destined for greatness because of his sheer determination to be the best possible player he could be, because of how he approached the game, how he learnt, how he was always determined to get his team over the line.

KP talks about this incredible friendship he shares with Kohli despite him being a lot senior, while sharing a few stories about making fun of Kohli's chubbiness in his early days.

He signs off by talking about how huge cricket in general and the IPL in specific is in India.

"Nothing compares to the IPL in India. There is nothing more spectacular, gripping, and captivating. There is no better entertainment than watching cricket in a packed Indian stadium"

Hearing the crowd cheering when Dhoni walks out to bat, or watching those partnerships between Kohli and AB De Villiers, according to KP, there is nothing like it in this sport.

It sure is a full entertainment package and the way KP describes it in his talk with Betway, I can only wonder what it would be like to be a part of this extravaganza as a pure spectator.

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Friday, February 28, 2020

IPL 2020 is upon us!


Posted by Q at Friday, February 28, 2020 Pitched (10)
The world's premier T20 competition, the IPL, will be starting its 13th season in a month's time.

When the 6-week extravaganza gets underway, all cricket around the world will come to a standstill and all eyes will be on the world's best players competing for the ultimate T20 crown.

Like last year, 8 teams will take part in IPL 2020, which starts on 27 March 2020 and goes on till the middle of May.

Six teams have won the previous 12 editions of the IPL with Mukesh Ambani's Mumbai Indians winning it 4 times. Chennai Super Kings, who missed out two seasons, have won the IPL three times; while Shahrukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders have won it twice.

The other three editions have been won by Rajasthan Royals, Deccan Chargers, and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

LEADING BATSMEN
T20 is a batsman's game and the IPL has seen some scintillating knocks over the past decade and a bit.

The first ever match played in IPL history, in 2008, witnessed a Brendan McCullum classic as he butchered the Royal Challengers Bangalore's attack amassing an unbeaten 158 that included 13 sixes and 10 fours.

That remained the highest score ever made in the IPL till Chris Gayle smashed his way to an unbeaten 175 in 2013. Gayle's knock comprised 17 sixes and 13 fours.


Chris Gayle is among the leading run scorers as well in the IPL, but it is no surprise as to who tops that list.

None other than the King himself, Virat Kohli!

Kohli is only one of two batsmen who have piled on over 5,000 runs in the IPL. The other being Suresh Raina.

There are only 8 other batsmen who have over 4,000 runs in the IPL.


There is another batting accolade that Chris Gayle has the honor of holding - the most number of sixes hit in the IPL.

Gayle is right there at the top with 326 sixes and he has a lead of over a 100 sixes over the next batsman on the list!

More than a 100 sixes than anyone else playing this T20 league!

What a legend this Chris Gayle is.


Gayle's name also makes the list when you look at batsmen who have scored the most runs in one season of IPL; however like the list of batsman with most runs in the history of the IPL, Kohli leads this list too.

He knocked a legendary 973 runs in IPL 2016!


Take a look at today match predictions and decide for yourself on who you will be placing your money on. Chris Gayle is a T20 superstar and a cricket legend. He is a key man to have in your team in T20 cricket. Any team that has Gayle in it will always be a favorite on the day.

Also take a look at this video for match predictions.


LEADING BOWLERS
It is a batsman's game no doubt but bowlers who can check the run flow are worth their weight in gold! Not many bowlers escape the onslaught of T20 batsmen, but there are a few who have been quite successful in this format.

Spinners are among the top wicket takers in the IPL, but there is one pacer who has out done all of them and that is Lasith Malinga.


Malinga has been a T20 superstar with the ball, not only for his IPL franchise for his country too. Mumbai Indians are fortunate to have him in the ranks and he has been a key component of their 4 IPL wins, the most by any team in the IPL.

I would say that the Mumbai Indians will start IPL 2020 as favorites. They are the defending champions and have won 4 of the past 7 IPL Trophies.

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Monday, April 8, 2019

A Data Analyst Looking to Change the Way Teams Analyze Cricketers


Posted by Q at Monday, April 08, 2019 Pitched (14)
Dan Weston is a data analyst who is trying to break cricket's traditionalists and conformists with a numbers based approach. Here he talks about the mistakes that T20 teams make in ignoring key number based data.

Think about T20 cricket leagues around the world and what comes straight to your mind? Sixes, boundaries galore, fireworks, music, cheerleaders and dancers, cricketers mixing with celebrities, and so on. Cricket's T20 leagues around the world, and the IPL in particular, are big entertainment extravaganzas that mixes the glitz and the glamour with cricket!

 Twenty years ago, it would not have even been considered cricket by the purists.

 The same purists today believe that cricket should be played according to a certain tradition. And the same goes for analysis. Their ways of analyzing the game are also traditional.

 Playing conditions and formats have changed over the years, and the way the game is played now is also different from how it was in the past eras. Similarly, the way the game is analyzed should also change and that is what data analyst Dan Weston is doing.

 He does this for all countries where cricket is played, including India, where the IPL is currently being staged, a tournament where the Chennai Super Kings are favorites on the back of their supremacy in the league over the past decade and more.

 Check out online bookmakers or try betting with Betway and you will see how highly rated the Super Kings are.

 “Quite a few coaches are old school, so it’s difficult to get them to buy into what you’re offering,” says Weston. “There are just not enough fresh voices. Cricket is full of inane data like: ‘This is the slowest century by an English batsman on a Tuesday.’ It’s completely worthless.”

 “If a bloke like myself can sit in an office and produce decent theories and data about T20 cricket, then I see no reason why a team with bigger resources can’t do the same,” he says.

 This has resulted in Weston limiting his public data analysis.

 “I wrote an analysis of 10 English players who would perform well in the subcontinent and the top five all got signed,” he says.
Weston analyzes cricketers across formats and across different playing conditions around the world. He uses his data and numbers collated through millions of ball by ball data to predict certain outcomes for players.

Weston became a cricket analyst after producing exhaustive data on tennis, which he utilized to bet on tennis matches. Once he realized that his tennis data and analysis could be transferred to cricket, he figures that he could make cricket analysis more suitable to today's times by applying his learning.

According to Weston, errors being made in the sport. He says “you name it, they’ll make that mistake, be it selection, recruitment, in-game tactics”. 

This led him to set up a data analytics business, which will support cricket teams, players, and agents by eliminating errors and providing more accurate and suitable data to make the decisions required to succeed.

Weston's model is complicated.

He analyzes each player individually by going through his recorded ball-by-ball data and makes adjustments to the players' average, strike rate, economy rate, etc. based on recency, opposition, and playing conditions. Based on this analysis, Weston determines the expected performance for each player for an upcoming tournament.

Basically, Weston produces a comprehensive assessment of how a player will perform in an upcoming competition, based on which he recommends players to teams around the world, including for the IPL, Big Bash, T20 Blast, and others.

“Cricket is a conditions-driven sport,” he says, “so a T20 Blast match at Canterbury will be a pace-orientated affair, whereas in Dhaka it’s going to be spinner-friendly and low-scoring. If a batsman performs well at Canterbury, does that really apply to a match in Dhaka? Probably not. There’s limited relevance. So I analyse how historically similar players have made the transition from one league to another. I might be asked to find a pace bowler for the T20 Blast, where an Australian will be quite highly-rated, as opposed to the IPL, where they haven’t thrived as much as their reputation would suggest because of the quality of the league.”

Weston says that what he does can easily be replicated by teams.

“Lots of high-profile players are signed based on reputation rather than current ability. Take Brendon McCullum: he’s got a poor record against spin bowling, he doesn’t keep wicket anymore, yet subcontinental teams are signing him as a marquee player. It makes no sense whatsoever."

“Then you see players signed based on reputation from another format."

“So Sam Curran played very well against India in Test matches last summer and has subsequently got a mega IPL deal despite the fact that his T20 data is not particularly impressive. I will continue to argue that he is an anti-moneyball signing.”

Weston believes that at times teams tend to cram a lot of versatile players into one team, which decreases the impact they can have on a game. Weston in fact has the data and numbers that prove the effectiveness of specialists in T20 cricket.

“You don’t want to stick an all-rounder at No. 9 because he’s just not going to bat,” he says. “The average No. 8 faces about seven balls per match, and the average No. 9 faces about four balls per match. If those guys are required to face more than the average, your top order batsmen haven’t done their job properly."

“For No. 9, 10 and 11 you just want an out-and-out specialist bowler who would perhaps then be capable of playing a five-ball cameo. If you pick too many all-rounders you end up compromising where they bowl, because often they turn out not to be very good death bowlers.”

It is quite strange that even with such brilliant insights, Weston is seeking out more work rather than turning it down. He says that he knows that teams from around the world were using his work without engaging him as a consultant.

“That includes guys like Wayne Madsen, who had never had an overseas contract before."

“A lot of the time people say they don’t have the financial capabilities to pay for my work, but I don’t buy into that theory at all. You can’t tell me that a cricket team has no financial wastage."

“If they were to use my data, they would be able to release a player and free up the money to pay for a consultant. It’s an indictment of the game at the moment.”

Weston believes that cricket coaching and analysis is starting to change. He believes that younger coaches will bring on more emphasis on data analysis, the kind that he produces.

“I think things will change in the next decade or so,” he says. “We’ll find that cricket will turn to much more of a baseball-orientated, stats-driven sport.”

When this does happen, it will lead everyone back to the efforts of one Dan Weston.

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Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Five Key Talking Points Of The IPL 2018 Season So Far


Posted by Q at Tuesday, April 17, 2018 Pitched (3)

Little has gone to script in the new IPL season and fans have already been treated to a captivating blend of drama, intrigue and excitement. Pre-season favourites have flopped, new greats have emerged and a thrilling unpredictability abounds. Here are the five biggest talking points so far:

Superb Sunrisers
The Hyderabad Sunrisers’ pre-season preparations were plunged into disarray when skipper David Warner was banned for his role in the Australian ball-tampering scandal. It looked as though they would struggle to match last year’s performance, where they finished third in the standings and made it through to the playoffs, with some predicting a grim season. But the Sunrisers came flying out of the blocks and won their first three games in a row to soar to the top of the table. Kiwi batsman Kane Williamson has embraced the role of captain and his phenomenally talented bowling line-up has delivered in style. They have restricted the opposition to fewer than 150 runs in all three opening games, leading the team to a 100% start to the season. They now lead the way in the IPL markets and Williamson’s men certainly look like the team to beat this year.

Miserable Mumbai 
Last year’s champions could not have made a worse start to the defense of their crown as they lost all three opening games of the season to sit bottom of the ladder. The defeats were close, but two were in their own back yard and that will be worrying for everyone connected with the franchise. They are now the rank outsiders for glory this season, and it could end up as the worst defense of an IPL title we have seen.

There is still time for them to turn things around, and they have not played too badly, but to lose their first three games by a whisker suggests a lack of fortitude in the clutch, so they will need to improve in this department.

Rehman comes of age
Mujeeb Ur Rehman became the youngest IPL player in history when he made his debut for the Kings XI Punjab, and what a debut it turned out to be. The 17-year-old Afghan removed the number one T20 batsman, Colin Munro, on just his third ball, swiftly endearing himself to the fans. The fairy-tale start continued when he dismissed Rishabh Pant, and ended up with highly impressive figures of 2-28 in his quota of four overs. Kings XI have made a strong start to the campaign and captain Ravichandran Ashwin is likely to use the teenage Afghan sensation to devastating effect over the coming weeks.

Rahul bidding for the Orange cap
Lokesh Rahul was the most expensive player for Kings XI at the IPL auction and he quickly repaid some of that fee. He came to the crease with his team chasing 166 against the Delhi Daredevils in their opening game, and hit 50 off just 14 balls – an IPL record – to totally demoralize his opponents. He smashed every bowler he faced and hit 24 off Amit Mishra in one over. Rahul has been branded a Test cricketer before, but he has always insisted he can star in limited overs contests, and he has proved it this year. He is not a preferred opener for the Indian national team, but he is keen to wear the Orange cap and his clean ball striking should have given the selectors something to think about.

Kohli still the star attraction
Even when he is being outshone by the likes of Sanju Samson, Kohli is still the main man in the IPL. The fans worship him, fellow players are full of respect and his star quality shines brightly. West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo likened him to the cricketing equivalent of Real Madrid soccer star Christiano Ronaldo this week. “For me as a cricket player to play against him and to watch him play when he represents India, even RCB, I admire the talent that he has, the passion he has for the game, for the sport when he plays. So hats off to him and he deserves all the achievement,” said Bravo. Royal Challengers Bangalore have made an inauspicious start to the season, losing two of their first three games, but there is still time to turn things around and they are the second favourites behind the Sunrisers to lift the trophy at the end of the season.

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Tuesday, April 10, 2018

IPL: Stop the Run Chase!


Posted by Q at Tuesday, April 10, 2018 Pitched (2)
As the most popular T20 league, the IPL, takes over everyone's lives for the next 6 weeks or so, there is an IPL game in town that will take over everyone's social media lives.

With the IPL frenzy ongoing, Expedia India have launched an IPL based game called 'Stop the Run Chase!'.


The objective of the game is exactly as the name suggests - one needs to stop the runs from flowing and keep the points total down to win.

Interestingly, no team has been able to stop the run chase in the IPL yet with Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Rajasthan Royals all failing to defend their totals.

However in Expedia's IPL game you can defend! All you have to do is tap on the 120 balls that are hit to different parts of India and defend your score.

It is quite an interesting and unique game that will keep IPL fans engaged on social media as they play to better their friends.

The balls coming your way are being hit towards different parts of India - specifically the 8 cities that are represented in the IPL. And your role is to stop the balls and keep the score low.

To obtain top position, you need keep the points total to under 120. And if your points total is above 360 you are at the bottom of the pile.


The different ranks are associated with the IPL teams based on their rankings in the previous edition of the IPL.

Can you beat the defending IPL Champions, the Mumbai Indians?

Play Expedia India's 'Stop the Run Chase' and find out if you can keep the total below 120 to be ranked top!

If you thought the IPL was exciting, you haven't experienced this IPL.

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Monday, April 9, 2018

IPL's leading performers


Posted by Q at Monday, April 09, 2018 Pitched (3)
The 11th season of the IPL is upon us and Cricinfo have come out with some Smart Stats that they are going to use to measure and analyze performances of batsmen and bowlers during this elite T20 league competition.

This all sounds quite interesting as it will shed some new light on how the players perform in T20 in different conditions.

But as this all unfolds in front of us, here's a look at the some basic stats from the past decade of IPL.

IPL Champions
The defending champions are Mumbai Indians who have also won the IPL title more times than any other team - thrice.


Following them, with two title wins each, are Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, who return to the IPL after serving the two year ban.

The other three seasons have witnessed Rajasthan Royals, Deccan Chargers, and Sunrisers Hyderabad win the IPL.

Who will win IPL 2018? Various quarters suggest that this will be the most competitive IPL till date and no one team is being marked as favorite.

We will be talking about this in IPL 2020 as well when the league enters its third decade.

The IPL today is the largest T20 league in the world and its title probably the most coveted T20 title that 8 teams will be vying for starting today!

IPL's Top Batsmen
Five batsmen have scored more than 4,000 runs in IPL with Suresh Raina at the top of the list with 4,540 runs at an average of 34.1 and a strike rate of 139.1.

The others with more than 4,000 runs are Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir, and David Warner.

Among all batsmen who have scored over 1,000 runs, only Chris Gayle and David Warner average above 40, with Chris Gayle's 41.2 being the highest average.

Chris Gayle also holds the record for most number of centuries (5), most sixes (265), and highest individual score of 175* in the IPL.

Gayle also holds the record for the fastest ever 100 scored in the IPL when he smashed one of just 30 deliveries, which is also the fastest 100 scored in all T20 cricket.

Gayle is a T20 phenomenon and for a decade he has been performing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, however this season he will turn out for Kings XI Punjab.


The highest strike rate in the IPL for all batsmen with more than 1,000 runs is Glenn Maxwell's (164.4) followed by Virender Sehwag's 155.4.

The fastest 50 record is held by Yusuf Pathan and Sunil Narine, both of whom reached their 50 in just 15 deliveries.

Gayle's fastest 50 is off 17 deliveries, which is the third fastest in IPL history.

IPL's Top Bowlers
Lasith Malinga is the leading wicket taker in IPL with 154 wickets at an average of 19.01 and a strike rate of 16.6.

Malinga is miles ahead of other bowlers with a clear lead of 20 wickets over Amit Mishra who is second on the list with 134 wickets. He is followed by Harbajhan Singh (127), Piyush Chawla (126), and Dwayne Bravo (122).

Malinga's average is the best average among all bowlers with at least 40 wickets in the IPL. While Sunil Narine holds the record for the best economy rate (6.32) among all bowlers who have bowled at least 100 overs in the IPL.


The best bowling figures in the IPL belong to Sohail Tanvir whose 6-14 in the first season for the Rajasthan Royals remains the record even 10 years after.

Adam Zampa is the only other bowler to pick up a 6 wicket haul in the IPL with his 6-19 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.


These batsmen and bowlers will be in action once again as season 11 of the IPL gets underway. It will be interesting to follow them and all the other talented cricketers that this league displays, especially with the new Smart Stats.

Let the games begin!

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Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Countdown to the IPL Extravaganza


Posted by Q at Tuesday, February 20, 2018 Pitched (8)
Indian Premier League (IPL), a carnival of cricket, brings together cricketers from around the world to exhibit their talent for hefty moolah. The non-stop, action-packed event spanning over one-and-half months springs many a surprise - at times intense soft on other, but always exciting, energetic and entertaining.

IPL 2018 edition starts on April 07, and the final is scheduled to be on May 27 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Potential Show Stealers



Chris Lynn
The Australian set the stage ablaze in last year's IPL edition, giving Kolkata Knight Riders explosive starts game-after-game. Lynn piled 384 runs at an audacious strike rate of 158. In the Big Bash League (BBL) this season, the volatile right-hander accumulated 127 runs in four matches at a staggering strike rate of 162.82.

Colin Munro
The New Zealander's brute display of sheer power-hitting and stellar form makes him a force to reckon with. In 2018 alone, the left-handed opener has amassed 367 runs at astounding strike rate of 192.14.

Mitchell Starc
Quick, at times unplayable, there is no bowler as fierce as the Australian. Royal Challengers missed the searing pace of Starc exceedingly in the last two seasons. If the left-arm quick remains available for the entire tournament, we are in for a treat!

Ben Stokes
There was nobody as sought after as Ben Stokes among fantasy cricket in India enthusiasts in last edition of IPL. Stokes has made plenty of headlines for the wrong reasons lately. The Englishman displayed great all-round skills in last year's edition to be chosen as the Most Valuable Player for Rising Pune Supergiant.

AB de Villiers
Mr. 360 AB de Villiers, the superman of cricket, is a cricketer with overflowing potential. So far in his IPL career, de Villiers has slammed 3 tons and has won 15 man-of-the-match awards. With Gayle's exit from RCB troop, the role of AB becomes all-important. Sure, he is the one who revels in responsibility.

Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is more than an hot-blooded batsman who has 3 ODI doubles to his name, but an able leader with three titles in the bag in the space of 5 years. His batting ability and headship makes Mumbai Indians one of the favourites again this year.

Virat Kohli
There is no better run machine in the world. He is touted the only one who can reach the summit of Sachin's 100 hundreds. It would not be a surprise if we get to witness a repeat of IPL 2016 season, in which Kohli piled 973 runs in 16 innings, studded with 4 hundreds.

Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit is in the mould of Lasith Malinga. Just like the latter, he has made himself a reputation for possessing an eerie ability to crush the toes and mastery in death bowling.

Teams that can go over the line

Mumbai Indians
If they play to their potential, there is no stopping defending champions Mumbai from going all the way. In Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Evin Lewis, Pat Cummins, Keiron Pollard and Hardik Pandya, they have an excellent mix to begin their title defence.

Royal Challengers Bangalore
Led by Virat Kohli, there is no other team that will be more frantic for IPL trophy. With AB de Villiers, McCullum and DeKock in their ranks, they are quite strong contenders this year.

Delhi Daredevils
No other franchise has bolstered their squad to an extent Daredevils did. They got hold of a proven leader in Gambhir besides T20 specialists like Jason Roy, Glen Maxwell and Colin Munro. Plus, they've got Chris Morris and Kagiso Rabada to complete a terrific overseas troupe.

Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad have balanced their squad right. In David Warner, they have a admirable commander who will be accompanied by in-form Dhawan at the top. With experience of Bhuvi, guile of Rashid khan and all-round capabilities of Shakib Al Hasan, Sunrisers are one exciting unit.

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Thursday, June 15, 2017

Biggest Moments in the 2017 IPL


Posted by Q at Thursday, June 15, 2017 Pitched (1)
The Mumbai Indians have become the 1st team to come first in the Indian Premier League 3 times this year, after they beat the Rising Pune Supergiant in what was a classic final. The showdown took place at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on Sunday the 11th of June 2017.
This year’s IPL extended over 56 days, and although the Mumbai Indians’ win was narrow, with just 1 run, it was complete, and secured them the title. This win has seen the 3rd victory for Rohit Sharma’s team, and there were a number of special moments along the way.

The Last Over Exploits of Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Johnson was the bowler in charge of the thrilling last over which helped the Mumbai Indians take the title for the IPL 2017, and the NZ betting sites offering markets for this game saw enormous amounts of money changing hands when the final results were revealed.

Rising Pune Supergiant were running after 130 in this game, and required 11 off of the last over –Johnson was put in charge of this task. Things got off to a bad start when he was hit for a 4 on the first ball, and thanks to the equation now reading 7 off 5, he took 2 key wickets, the first off Manoj Tiwary and the 2nd off of Steve Smith, the latter smashing a 50. With 7 now needed off 3, 

Washington Sundar managed to steal a bye. In the second last ball, Johnson went on to fire a pinpoint yorker, and the only thing the batsman could do was squeeze out a couple. When he tried for a 3rd he suffered a run-out, and Johnson thus became the author of one of the Indians’ most memorable wins.

The IPL Hat-Trick Day of April 14th
The bowler for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Samuel Badree, was the player to pick up the 1st hat-trick for this year’s IPL, and he did so on the 14th of April 2017.

This day, in fact, marked a unique feat: there were 2 games, and both of these featured a hat-trick.

The 1st was between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai Indians, belonging to Samuel Badree, and, immediately after, during the game which took place between the Gujarat Lions and the Rising Pune Supergiant in Rajkot, Andrew Tye, an Australian pacer, not only responded, but went 1 better, when he totalled not only a hat-trick, but also the 1st 5-wicket haul for the competition.

The RCB Fall from Grace
Royal Challengers Bangalore, led by Virat Kohli, was the team to be bowled out for the lowest total in the IPL’s history, at 49. Up until this point, RCB had managed to hold on to the record for the IPL’s highest-ever score, thanks to the 263/5 they managed in the IPL 2013 matchup against the Sahara Pune Warriors on the 23rd of April that year.

There are sure to be plenty more big moments in IPL and fans are waiting to see what’s next in the offing.

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Thursday, May 4, 2017

Top Batsmen and Bowlers of the IPL 2017


Posted by Q at Thursday, May 04, 2017 Pitched (1)
Recently, the Royal Challengers Bangalore went on to defeat the Gujarat Lions by a good 21 runs in what turned out to be a high-scoring game. This 2017 Indian Premier League match saw Chris Gayle become the very first batsman to rack up a score of over 10 000 runs in the history of the T20.
The Lions were facing an uphill battle after they conceded 213 runs for a measly 2 wickets, and Gayle smashed a whopping 77 runs of just 38 balls.

Gujarat played with purpose and aggression, however, and took the match to the final deliveries. Brendon McCullum went on to score 72 runs as Royal Challengers Bangalore too the pace off of the ball.

The Lions have now replaced the Challengers on the competition’s bottom side, thanks to the fact that that the bowling tactics by Virat Kohli, captain, managed to prevail in the 2nd innings.
Let's take a look at other IPL players who are currently on the high scorers list:

Top Run-Scorers

The IPL 2017’s highest run scorers are currently:

1.       David Warner   
2.       Brendon McCullum        
3.       Manish Pandey
4.       Gautam Gambhir
5.       Nitish Rana        
6.       Steve Smith       
7.       Manan Vohra   

Top Wicket-Takers of the 2017 IPL

1.       Bhuvneshwar Kumar     
2.       Chris Morris       
3.       Imran Tahir        
4.       Andrew Tye      
5.       Yuzvendra Chahal           

The legend from West Indies, Gayle, is the first man to break the 10 000-run mark in the T20, and this fact helped him lead the Royal Challengers Bangalore to victory. He hit 5 fours and 7 sixes, partnering up with Kohli to amass an enormous score for his team when the game drew to a close.

Gayle was naturally handed the Man of the Match award when the contest ended, amusing the crowd as he did, with his determined and direct first-class cricket play.

Cricket betting sites are taking all of these facts into consideration as they release new odds for the upcoming games. Punters can look forward to more dynamic occurrences in the world of online betting, as IPL games continue to reveal the various wins and losses fans have to factor in to their betting options.

Top Spots Under Attack

The victory by Royal Challengers Bangalore is only the 2nd they have managed to accrue during the campaign, and AB de Villiers is sorely missed, as he is out due to injury. David Warner led the chase for the orange cap and ranked at the top of the current standings, thanks to the fact that he managed to hit a total of 235, for the Sunrisers Hyderabad across the comp. McCullum, however, is hot on Warner’s heels, as he stands just 10 runs behind the energetic Australian after his exemplary play for the Lions in Tuesday’s match.


Bhuvneshwar Kumar has thus far been the player to claim the most wickets in the Indian Premier League for this team: he took a total of 15 scalps and stands at the top of the list for the purple cap thus far. This can all change in an instant, and the fast-pace and unpredictable nature of the IPL is part of what makes it so popular. 

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Tuesday, May 2, 2017

IPL Fantasy League: Top 5 picks for the Royal Challengers vs. Knight Riders Contest


Posted by Q at Tuesday, May 02, 2017 Pitched (1)
The IPL Fantasy League is a part of the genre of Fantasy Sports whereby you are tasked with creating a virtual team of real-life cricket players. In the online game you will score points depending on how well the players you have chosen manage to perform in matches that take place in the real world.

The Kolkata Knight Riders, currently ranked as 2nd in the Indian Premier League, are set to take on the Bangalore Royal Challengers on Sunday, the 23rd of April and for fantasy bettors, this poses plenty of exciting opportunities.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore
The Royal Challengers Bangalore is a franchised cricket team that has their base in Bangalore, Karnataka, and are owned by United Spirits. They have yet to win an Indian Premier League or CLT20, and are captained by Virat Kohli. Their head coach is Daniel Vettori.

The top 5 players as far as the IPL Fantasy League for the upcoming game are as follows:
Power-Hitting All Rounder: Shane Watson
Top Order Batsman:  Virat Kohli
Power-Hitting Batsman: AB De Villiers
Lead Leg-Spinner: Yuzvendra Chahal
Wicket-Keeper/Middle-Order Batsman: Kedar Jadhav

The Kolkata Knight Riders
The Kolkata Knight Riders are a franchised cricket team which represents the city of Kolkata for the Indian Premier League. This team is owned by Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood superstar, Juhi Chawla, a fellow actress, and her spouse, Jay Mehta.

They have 2 Indian Premier League wins under their belt, taking first place in 2012 and 2014, and have Jacques Kallis as their head coach. The captain for the team is Gautam Gambhir, and their arena is Eden Gardens. The parent organisation for the team is Red Chillies Entertainment, and this team is a great favourite with punters when it comes to IPL online betting, with this game set to continue their popularity.

The KKR’s top 5 picks for the IPL Fantasy League are:
Top Order Batsman: Gautam Gambhir
Batting All Rounder: Yusuf Pathan
Consistent Batsman: Manish Pandey
Leading Off-Spinner: Sunil Narine
Power Hitting Batsman: Chris Lynn

The Latest News about the Upcoming Game
The blistering knock from Chris Gayle, and the excellent bowling performance delivered by Yuzvendra Chahal may have allowed the RCB to triumph against the Gujarat Lions on Tuesday the 18th of April, but this franchise is still battling a number of serious issues in the IPL of 2017. The main problems they are facing are the fitness levels of vital players like AB de Villiers, Tymal Mills, and Samuel Badree.

Badree, who was able to pick up a hat-trick in the RCB debut, and de Villiers, batting mainstay, had to miss the game against the Lions because of injuries, and Mills has had fitness issues recently that have seen him absent from the 11. Gayle and Travis Head managed to make up largely for the dearth of overseas players with rapid knocks in Rajkot, the RCB have still not quite managed to find their ideal combo, and are suffering due to problems with both fitness and form.


The competition looks set to be an intense one, and fantasy bettors will be wise to keep tabs on what's happening on the field.

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Sunday, April 30, 2017

Top 5 Highest Power Play Scores in IPL


Posted by Q at Sunday, April 30, 2017 Pitched (1)
In this article we are going to have a look at the 5 best Power Play scores of the Indian Premier League in history.

5: IPL 2009: 5.84 for 1, Deccan Chargers vs. Delhi Daredevils
The fact that this Power Play came during the semi-final of the Indian Premier League of 2009 makes it even more stupendous. The Deccan Chargers, chasing their target of 154, and led by the inscrutable Adam Gilchrist, blazed their way to 84 for 1 inside the first 6 overs.

Gilchrist played one of the very best knocks the IPL had ever seen, with fierce cuts, violent pulls, and ferocious drives. His excellent play allowed him to lead his team to this score when the Power Play came to an end, and the Chargers won the match with more than 2 overs to go.

4: IPL 2014: 4.86 for 1, Kings XI Punjab vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad
In a wild chase of 206 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad team, Kings XI Punjab need a good start in this Indian Premier League game in 2014. Manan Vohra and Wriddhiman Saha provided the onslaught, and they tore into Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Dale Steyn with seeming ease.

On a surface far more suited to the Hyderabad team, these 2 batsmen managed to hit the bowlers to each of the park’s corners, and they notched up 86 – 1 in the Power Play. Thanks to this incredible start, Punjab managed to chase the target down in only 18.4 overs, and sports betting sites around the world paid out huge sums to lucky punters.

3: IPL 2011: 87 for 2, Kochi Tuskers Kerala vs. Rajasthan Royals
In the final league match of the 2011 Indian Premier League for team Kochi Tuskers Kerala, it was made more than memorable by how totally they managed to decimate the Rajasthan royals.

They initially bundled the Royals out for a mere 97, and then Brendon McCullum and Parthiv Patel took their team to an extraordinary 87 – 2 by the time the Power Play came to an end. Their fearless play helped them clinch the game in only 7.2 overs.

2: IPL 2015: 2.90 for 0, Chennai Super Kings vs. Mumbai Indians
The Chennai Super Kings had been chasing a fearsome target of 184 in their game against the Mumbai Indians, but openers Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum simply went berserk. Their powerful cuts, commanding pulls, and dominant smashes allowed them to take the Chennai Super Kings to 90 with no loss at all by the end of the Power Play overs. This significant start allowed the Chennai Super Kings to play the rest of the game relatively freely, eventually overhauling their target in a mere 16.4 overs.

1: IPL 2014: 100 for 2, Chennai Super Kings vs. Kings XI Punjab
Suresh Raina, the batsman for the Chennai Super Kings, almost handed the IPL its highest-ever Power Play score without any help at all. This high-octane clash saw them pitted against the Kings XI Punjab in the 2nd qualifying playoff of the IPL in 2014, with the Super Kings chasing an incredible 227 to win. Raina’s incredible counter-assault took fans’ breath away and took them to first place.


Playing his well-known cuts, drives, and heaves, Raina blazed to a sensational 87 off only 25 balls, and helped his team reach the incredible 100 – 2 score at the end of Power Play, the highest ever score to be made. 

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Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Top de Villiers IPL Knocks


Posted by Q at Wednesday, April 26, 2017 Pitched (1)
With AB De Villiers all set to return to play, let’s have a look at the Top 5 Knocks from the player known as Mr 360.

1. AB de Villiers Smacks the 5th Fastest Century in the History of the IPL
After Chris Gayle got knocked over for 6, AB, with 129 off 52, came in as he was impelled to bat during the Power Play overs. He managed to race to a 43-ball ton, with 10 fours and 12 sixes, and this also included the highest-ever IPL partnership of 229 with Virat Kohli, 109 off of 54 balls.

The knock went on to help his team post a total of 248 – 3, and encouraged the Royal Challengers Bangalore to go for a win of 144 runs over Gujarat Lions in the 2016 IPL –the largest victory in the  game’s history.

2. 105 (54) versus Chennai Super Kings in Durban in 2009
In his 2nd tournament, de Villiers made himself known to the world of the IPL by smashing his first ton. He hit 105 off of 54 balls in the game against the Chennai Super Kings, even though he was batting at an odd no. 3 position for the Delhi Daredevils. IPL betting sites, seeing that kind of action today, would have paid out a pretty penny to punters who had made the right choice of who to back.

After losing their openers with 8 runs on the board, Mr 360 raced to a 35-ball 50, with 1 four and 6 sixes, and topped this by managing to reach his 100 off of only 51 balls, made up of 5 fours and 6 sixes.  In the process he also set up two key partnerships in order to remain unbeaten on 105: 68 runs with Tillakaratne Dilshan, and a 74-run 5th-wicket partnership with Manoj Tiwary. Thanks to this, his team claimed a 9-run victory.

3. Sets His Highest-Ever T20 Score in 2015
A 215-run partnership with Kohli fired RCB up to a massive score of 234 in 20 overs, and this proved key to their victory of 39 runs. His final score of 133 not-out stands as the 3rd highest score in the history of the IPL, and the best de Villiers has ever had in the T20.

4. Heroic 89 in an Iconic Chase against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014
Chasing a total of 156, Gayle had give the Royal Challengers a good start by hitting a 19-ball 27, but, after his scalp the wickets just kept tumbling, with these including a duck from Kohli. De Villiers came in at no. 5 and hit one of his best innings, facing 41 balls to reach 89 runs that included 8 sixes and 6 fours, taking his team over the line with a ball to spare.

5. AB Saves the Day in 2016
Facing a target of 159, an incredible top-5 collapse saw the Royal Challengers break down to 29 – 5 in their qualifier against the Lions. With a place in the final available, de Villiers came in swinging, stepping up to the crease and smashing his team through to victory. He hit 79 balls off 47, with 10 to spare, and this was his 6th score of over 50 in the 2016 tournament, the season in which he scored more than any other.


These are just a few of the many incredible knocks de Villiers has had, and he looks set to continue to thrill IPL fans for a long time to come!

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Monday, April 17, 2017

Take a look at the top IPL Captains who’ve enjoyed great success


Posted by Q at Monday, April 17, 2017 Pitched (3)
Top 5 Most Successful Captains in IPL Cricket
The role of the captain, according to Steve Waugh, is to combine 10 individuals’ contrasting personalities and ensure they are all moving in the same direction, by treating them both equally and differently. This encompasses how important a good captain of any kind of sports team is, but particularly cricket.

Read on for a list of the top 5 captain’s throughout the IPL’s history.

Number 5: Shane Warne
Shane Warne, known as one of the most colourful cricketers ever, has stayed in the news, whether for sports achievements or other shenanigans. He is very often referred to as the best captain that Australian never had, and managed to lead Australia in 11 ODIs, while winning 10. His captaincy of the Rajasthan Royals has been heralded as nothing short of sublime, as he led the unfancied team to victory on several occasions.

Number 4: Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir’s stint as IPL captain began with the Delhi Daredevils in 2009, when he replaced Virender Sehwag and led the team to the South African semi-finals. In the following season, he became a full-time captain, but his true skills were only revealed when his move to the Kolkata Knight Riders was effected, where he managed to lead his team to 2 IPL titles in both 2012 and 2014. Cricket bets backing this gentleman’s team during this time would’ve seen a pretty penny returned!

Number 3: Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Cricket fans may be surprised that Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not feature as the number 1 most successful captain of IPL teams, and, truth be told, if overall impact was a factor then he undoubtedly would be. This, however, is not the criteria for this list, and so he ranks at number 3.
He has continued his success as the captain for the Chennai Super Kings, leading them to knockout phases in 8 successive seasons, and winning the tournament not once, but twice, in 2010 and 2011. He also had them as runners up a total of 4 times.

Number 2:  Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma became the Mumbai Indians captain when Ricky Ponting gave up the role in 2013. The leadership change impacted very positively on the team’s fortunes, and they won the title that year. A reasonable strike rate combined with 538 runs made Sharma Mumbai’s highest and 6th highest run-getter in that season and he led the Indians to a 2015 title as well.
The finals, against the Chennai Super Kings at Eden Gardens, saw Sharma manage a 26-ball 50, and he was certainly instrumental in Mumbai’s score of 202 runs in 20 overs.

Number 1: Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar’s name on the top of this list may surprise some, since he did not have a particularly memorable stint as captain of Team India. Numbers, however, do not lie, and Tendulkar’s win percentage of 58.82 makes him the single most successful IPL captain when one goes by victory percentage.


Tendulkar does not have the title of an IPL win as captain, but he has managed to lead his team to the finals, most notably in the 2010 season. Mumbai had to cede the finals to the Chennai Super Kings by 22 runs, in spite of Tendulkar’s 48 runs, and he was the 2010 IPL edition’s leading scorer overall, with 618 runs at a 47.53 average.

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