IPL Betting - 2022 Preview

IPL 2022 is going to be a huge year for the future of the entire Indian Premier League. Two new teams have been added, a mega-auction has changed every team fundamentally, and the format is also not the same. This will mean that IPL cricket betting is not going to be the same as previous years either. 

Here are some of the changes and an analysis of how they may affect cricket betting on IPL 2022.

Format

Unlike previous years, where every team played each other twice, this time teams have been decided into two groups. 

Group A:

• Mumbai Indians
• Kolkata Knight Riders
• Rajasthan Royals
• Delhi Capitals
• Lucknow Super Giants

Group B:

• Chennai Super Kings
• Sunrisers Hyderabad
• Royal Challengers Bangalore
• Punjab Kings
• Gujarat Titans

Each team will play the other teams in its own group twice, four teams in the opposition group once, and one team in the opposition table twice. 

For example, MI will play KKR, RR, DC, and LSG twice. It will play SRH, RCB, PBKS, and GT once. It will also play CSK twice. 

Venue

All the matches of IPL 2022 are going to be held in Maharashtra. Three stadiums in Mumbai ( Wankhede, Brabourne, and DY Patil Stadium) plus one in Pune (MCA International Stadium) will host the matches. 

Betting impact: All of these stadiums are expected to be high-scoring, favor the fast-bowlers, and provide an advantage to the chasing teams. We could be in for an IPL season where high-scoring matches are the norm and more sixes are hit than what was seen previously. 

Teams 

Here is a brief breakdown of the strengths and weaknesses of each team after the IPL 2022 Auction.

Mumbai Indians

Strengths: Strong core of the team led by Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ishan Kishan

Weaknesses: Lack at least one top-quality Indian batsman, the spin-department is weak 

Betting Analysis

There is no way that an IPL team can be considered weak when they start out with Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, and Jasprit Bumrah. These four retentions had put MI in a strong place before the start of the auction. 

They also added Ishan Kishan and Tim David to their lineup, both explosive hitters on the rise in their careers. Despite this, MI is a bit weaker than in previous seasons as it will not have to replace the Pandya brothers and Quinton de Kock. 

Kieron Pollard also seems to be on a decline in recent months. 

Chennai Super Kings

Strengths: Continuity. The team tried to get the gang back together and largely succeeded. Conway, Milne, and Ali provide three fantastic overseas options with some solid replacement options in the squad.

Weaknesses: MS Dhoni, Ambati Rayadu, Dwayne Bravo are at the end of their careers and nowhere close to what they were at their best. Indian fast-bowling unit looks quite weak. 

Betting Analysis

We are not bullish about the chances of the Chennai Super Kings this season. They look a bit too dependent on Ruturaj Gaikwad and Moeen Ali. Also, their bowling attack looks the weakest it has in years without the likes of Deepak Chahar and Imran Tahir. 

IPL 2022 could be a tough year for CSK.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Strengths: Shreyas Iyer joins a strong core with Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine, and Andre Russell. Batting looks strong and with plenty of power.

Weaknesses: The Indian bowling options are limited, overseas options seem limited and could make team selection a bit difficult

Betting Analysis

Picking Shreays Iyer adds a great Indian batting option to the lineup as well as a potential captain. However, Sam Billings is the only keeper and being forced to play him could mean someone like Alex Hales sitting out. Pat Cummins is going to be busy with international commitments for fair chink of IPL 2022 as well. 

KKR’s bowling will be a weakness and it remains to be seen if Russell+ Narine are the force that they were at their peak.

Sunrisers Hyderabad 

Strengths: A strong bowling lineup with plenty of fast-bowling options

Weaknesses: Batting looks a bit weak with no big-name Indian batters and Kane Williamson’s fitness is a big concern

Betting Analysis

We like some of the punts that SRH has made ahead of IPL 2022. They have picked NIcholas Pooran and Romario Shepherd, two excellent T20 players that can be destructive and win you matches on their day. The bowling lineup is strong with Umran Malik, Bhuvenshawar Kumar, and T Natarajan all back with the team.

In the past, SRH has struggled to get its team balance right and some of its players have not grown as expected. It should be a lot more competitive this time but we still don’t see an IPL winning team here. 

Rajasthan Royals

Strengths: Strong core of Indian players in both the batting and bowling departments, well-balanced squad, conditions in Maharashtra should suit them

Weaknesses: Bowling at the death will be a concern 

Betting Analysis

The Rajasthan Royals are the team that we think could end up surprising a lot of people. They seem to have followed the Delhi Capitals playbook of getting as many quality Indian players as possible and then seeing what they are left with. 

Devdutt Padikkal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sanju Samson are terrific India batters. The middle-order is stacked with overseas talent that is powerful and used to smashing sixes. The Indian spin-bowling department is also very good. 

We don’t see any real weaknesses and if the players can remain fit, the Royals should be able to turn some heads this time around. 

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Strengths: Experience, Strong bowling, Big name players like Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell as the ‘X’ factor

Weaknesses: Backup Indian batsmen seem a bit underwhelming

Betting Analysis

RCB has been stung so many times with its poor bowling performances that it seems like it did not want to take any chances this time around. Harshal Patel, Josh Hazelwood, and Wanindu Hasaranga are all excellent players to have in your squad.

The batting will revolve around Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Faf du Plessis. It may not have the explosiveness of previous seasons but losing someone like AB de Villiers will always leave a massive hole. 

This could certainly be a playoff team but a lot will depend on whether Kohli can find his lost touch. 

Delhi Capitals

Strengths: Strong batting order, power through the lineup, varied bowling lineup

Weaknesses: They are missing one high-quality finisher in the lineup

Betting Analysis

From a betting perspective, DC is the team that we are most bullish on. They managed to get some truly spectacular names in the auction. Mitchell Marsh is the most desired T20 player on the planet right now, Rovman Powell seems to be discovering his power game, and David Warner was bought for a song. 

Every aspect of the team seems well-covered and we think they are going to enjoy the conditions in Maharashtra as well. 

Punjab Kings

Strengths: Tremendous batting depth, experience, and solid bowling options

Weaknesses: Players like Arshdeep and possibly Rishi Dhawan will have to take their game to the next level since they seem likely to play pivotal roles this season

Betting Analysis

PBKS has put together a fantastic squad this time around and in many aspects, appears to be the strongest team this season. Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Aggarwal, Jonny Bairstow, and Liam Livingstone should help form as strong a top-4 as any while Shahrukh Khan and Odeon Smith could play the big-hitting roles down the order.

The bowling lineup is also in good hands with Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, and Arshdeep Singh in the lineup. We would be very surprised if PBKS does not make it to the IPL 2022 playoffs. 

Lucknow Super Giants

Strengths: Plenty of international all-rounders to led balance and flexibility to the team, power, and one of the sharpest strategic minds in Andy Flower to helo the players.

Weaknesses: A number of players that have underperformed expectations in the past

Betting Analysis

LSG seemed to have a clear idea of what it wanted and seems to have achieved that. KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, and Mark Wood are all excellent picks. These are players that are currently at the top of their games. 

However, Deepak Hooda, Manish Pandey, Krunal Pandya, and K Gowtham are all players that have been put in positions of responsibility but failed in the past. It is a big punt from LSG to put their faith in these players and how they perform will decide their season. 

Gujarat Titans 

Strengths: Strong bowling lineup, top quality top-order, and some powerful hitters

Weaknesses: inexperienced captain, team seems a bit imbalance, question mark over Hardik Pandya’s fitness

Betting Analysis

The Gujarat Titans have formed an exciting team that will surely win some matches and pull off some upsets but we don’t see it being a title contender just yet. Jason Roy and Shubman Gill form a very strong opening pair but the rest of the batting is questionable. 

We also do not know if Hardik Pandya is going to bowl and his captaincy is untested as well. The resources are there but we don’t think they fit together as a unit very well. 

*Update: Jason Roy has pulled out of IPL 2022 and the Gujarat Titans will name a replacement

IPL 2022 Betting Tips

Winner - 

Our Favorite: Delhi Capitals (6.00)

The most balanced lineup in IPL 2022 and the one that seems to have the most bases covered. If its leading players can stay healthy and in-form, this is the team that we think is the most likely to win the title. 

Outside Bet: Rajasthan Royals (9.00)

This is a much more risky bet but the odds are also much more attractive. We really like the squad that the Rajasthan Royals have put together and think they are going to cause a lot of headaches for a lot of teams. The conditions suit them well and they could end up being the surprise package of IPL 2022.

Teams to make the Playoffs

• Delhi Capitals

• Punjab Kings

• Mumbai Indians

• Royal Challengers Bangalore

OCB will provide IPL predictions for all matches during the IPL 2022

IPL Odds 2022

With IPL scheduled to start on 26-March-2022, there are plenty of betting markets and options that have opened now. We are constantly doing the comparison across various sites and here we are presenting the comparison for IPL winning odds for 2022. 

Chances of Winning the IPL 2022 (Updated 09-March-2022)

Based on the odds above, we can calculate an approximate for what the betting sites believe the chances of the various teams have on winning the IPL 2022 as of now 9-March-2022