The cricket enthusiasts have made United Arab Emirates (UAE) their subject of interest as Indian Premier League (IPL) is underway. There were a lot of speculations regarding the tournament being cancelled as Covid-19 raged through the world. However, much to the pleasure of cricket lovers, especially the Indian audience, a revised schedule was announced.
As soon as the auction for players happened, fan fights and virtual bets had begun to make a lot of noise on all social media platform. While the IPLs are always unpredictable much like the game is, there might be some parameters that will allow one to place their bets on a team!
A brief look into the history of IPL
Since it’s debut in 2008; many teams have been contesting in the tournament, namely:
- Chennai Super Kings
- Mumbai Indians
- Royal Challengers Bangalore
- Rajasthan Royals
- Kings XI Punjab
- Delhi Capitals
- Kolkata Knight Riders
- Sunrises Hyderabad (Since 2013)
A few of the former teams which were later dissolved include:
- Deccan Chargers
- Kochi Tuskers
- Pune Warriors
- Rising Pune supergiant
- Gujarat Lions
So far, Mumbai Indians have led the race with four trophies. They are followed by Chennai Super Kings who were champions three times. Kolkata Knight Riders have won the trophy two times while Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals were champions once each.
Parameters to be the winner
While everyone would want their favourite team to win, even before the matches are played, betting begins. The discussions on possible champions are based on certain factors that might contribute to a team’s victory.
Betway looked at the last 12 seasons of IPL to figure out the trends followed by the champions. It certainly does not give one a wholesome answer on who will take the IPL 2020 trophy home. However, better clarity on a team’s performance can be understood.
Does spending help?
IPL has big money in it and it’s no secret. With heavy sponsors from DLF to Dream 11, Dream sports is the has tucked the title sponsorship under their wings with a whopping Rs 220 crore.
Although spending can contribute to a team’s success as it gives them the leverage to have top players on board, it does not guarantee the championship. If one looks at the past seasons of IPL, this is quite evident. There is, in fact, a trend of the most expensive team losing the tournament.
This year Mumbai Indians has the most expensive team. MI fans can only hope they can break this trend and emerge victoriously.
The age factor
For a team to be successful, the combination of young and experienced players need to be on point. The average of the team should be kept in mind during the auction. A well-balanced team has better chances of being the champions.
The existing trend seen among the IPL winners is that the winning teams almost always have kept this balance. Rajasthan Royals pulled an exclusive victory here because they still bagged the cup once when they had the team’s average as 25.
This year Chennai Super Kings is often cited as the veterans’ team. The team also has the highest average age with the likes of M S Dhoni and Imran Tahir being their strengths. However, one can only see if favouring experience over the youth would push them to be champions this time.
Player level
International level players bring top-notch gameplay to the team. They have the experiences of playing at heated level, which are the standards IPL games progress in. however many teams also bring in smaller and less known players, which gives them a chance to prove their mettle.
Apart from Rajasthan Royals, all the teams that won the championship had 15 international-level players the year they won. This shows that bringing in higher level players can up a team’s chance of winning by a good margin.
The 2020 champion
Based on the above parameters Royal Challengers Bangalore has good chances of winning the IPL. If so, this would be the first time they are winning the trophy. At the same time, the trend of looking at previous IPLs need not help in evaluating who this year’s winner will be.
Does Captain Kohli and team have what it takes to level their game up? One would only know as the tournament progresses!
Some of the research contained in this article can be sourced at Betway’s Insider Blog.