The countdown for the biggest cricket carnival of the year has started. The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League is all set to start on April 09, 2021 and shall grab eyeballs among cricket fans from around the world. While the fans get ready to support their favourite teams, punters are already searching for the IPL betting tips as the keep close watch on the teams, the players and of course their form. Which teams have it in them to win the title in 2021? Will Mumbai Indians continue with their dominance or shall we see the birth of a new champion this year? The team performance and stats from the last few years might offer some clue into IPL final winner prediction for 2021.
The Title Contenders
So what are the IPL betting tips for 2021 and which of the teams look set to playing the finals of the season? Though every season starts with the points table levelled for all the eight teams, there are few that definitely have edge right at the start of the season. That’s exactly what IPL betting tips are all about. So here’s our prediction for the contenders for IPL Final 2021.
Mumbai Indians
Talk of the title contenders for the season and defending champions Mumbai Indians would start as favourites. Rohit Sharma has been leading the side from the front, and the most successful team would aim for its third consecutive title and sixth overall. Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav have changed the batting dynamics of the side and along with Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard make this batting line-up formidable. Jasprit Bumrah finished with 27 wickets last season and shall look to start from where he had left. With several all-rounders in the squad, Mumbai have all their bases covered.
Delhi Capitals
Change in name can work wonders, and Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils) have proved it. Though the side failed in the final hurdle last year, they are the team that has made maximum news in the last two seasons. Among the youngest outfits in the league, Shreyas Iyer’s team is the one that can match up to Mumbai Indians in all departments. On the batting front the likes of Rishab Pant, Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan and Marcus Stoinis can win games on their day. Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje shared 51 wickets between them last season and they have it in them to go the distance.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
This side operates below the radar. While they might not have the same kind of fan following as some of the other sides, they are consistent and one that can’t be counted out. Bagful of injuries came as a big blow for the side last season but they still went on to finish third. Rashid Khan, T Natrajan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar make it a lethal bowling attack. Captain David Warner has always led from the front with the bat and the likes of Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey and Jonny Bairstow do make it a formidable batting line-up.
The Dark Horses
Apart from the top three, there are two other sides that would be counting their chances in this edition of the IPL.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Will Virat Kohli’s side break the jinx this season? This is the question RCB fans have at the start of the season to end up with their hopes dashed. But this might be the season where they go over the finishing line thanks to the kind of spark we saw from Devdutt Padikkal, Kohli and AB De Villiers last season. For that to happen the side will have to get over its habit of splitting the season into two halves – one of excellence and another of sloppy cricket. And not to forget, they need to bowl well too, one of their perennial problems.
Kolkata Knight Riders
With the captaincy debate settled after two unsettling seasons, two-time title winners KKR do have a chance this season. They have good strength in their batting with Captain Eoin Morgan, Shubman Gill, Shakib Al Hasan and Andre Russell in the side. With Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins and Varun Chakravarthy in the bowling attack, they have the balance to upset opponents.
The Rest
Though T20 cricket is uncertain, the remaining three sides don’t seem to have much of chance at the moment. It will be interesting to see if a new name for Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab) works like the way it did for Delhi Capitals. But the side will need to look beyond KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal to carry the burden of the entire side. Rajasthan Royals are consistent in naming new captains for every season and beyond that there is no change in their fortunes and newly appointed skipper Sanju Sampson will have their fans jump on rooftop if he were to bring about a turnaround.
As far as the Chennai Super Kings are concerned, it’s sad that one of the powerhouses of the IPL has its chips down. The team finished 7th last season, their worst in IPL. It was a shocking for the side that won the title thrice and made it to five other finals never falling below the 3rd place in its history. But MS Dhoni’s team is a bunch of ageing players well past their prime and going by their performance last season there isn’t much hope for them this year as well.