Another exciting season of cricket is upon us, following an amazing ICC World Cup in late 2023 won unexpectedly by Australia in a thrilling final against host nation India. Speaking of, tonight, the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League gets underway, and this season promises to be another one filled with impactful matchups and great surprises. 10 teams will battle it out for the bragging rights of best club in India, and there are a few that are outstanding candidates this time around. As discussion among ardent fans about whose team will make the playoffs and plausibly win the competiition are swirling on social media, let’s take a look at out preview of the IPL’s 2024 season.
The defending champions Chennai Super Kings will surely vie once more for the chance to win the Indian Premier League title – led by MS Dhoni – as they start their season off at home against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. With Chennai’s win of last season’s edition, they landed a joint-record 5th IPL championship, alongside the Mumbai Indians. Speaking of, the Indians have been a disappointing side in recent editions, now going three years without a title, including a bottom-of-the-table finish in 2022 which signaled the team’s worst-ever season. Being a club that outclassed the competition for most of the latter 2010s, they will certainly be looking to start a new winning cycle this year.
Among other teams that have a shot at winning the title are the Gujarat Titans, who managed to get to the final in the last two editions of the competition, winning in 2022 and losing out to the Super Kings last time around in a thrilling encounter. However, unlike in previous editions, they will have to cope with the loss of captain Hardik Pandya, who returned to Mumbai – where he won four editions of the Indian Premier League. Whether the Titans will have enough to mount another plausible challenge to the title remains to be seen, as we don’t have them among the top three contenders as the season starts.
Two outside candidates, yet relatively plausible ones are the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Rajasthan Royals. How Bengaluru have not yet won a Premier League title is beyond belief, with their fans packing M Chinnaswamy Stadium for every home match, and the added factor of Virat Kohli’s pedigree – being the most internationally recongnized cricket player – and the high level of talent that the rest of the team is composed of. The Royals also have a good shot at competing for the title, although they have not won one since 2008. However, their team is well-balanced, and they have arguably the best spinners in the league.
Every one of these teams will think of themselves as a candidate for the final victory, but all of them also have some flaws that other teams can take advantage of. Mumbai enter with a mountain of pressure to improve on the last few seasons, while Chennai could suffer some injury concerns, as Devon Conway missed a portion of last season. Its a very open and relatively balanced competiton this time around. If you were to choose an outright winner for the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League, I would suggest the Super Kings for a safer bet (5.40), or if you feel like taking more of a risk, go for the Royals at 8.20. For top tournament batter, meanwhile, its certainly between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli for me, both of whom are listed quite well as 9.20 and 10.00 respectively.
We can’t wait to see how the seaosn will progress and catch all the drama that will ensue! For more analysis and to play on our decentralized sportsbook, head over to CoinGames today!
