IPL 2021 Match Prediction and Betting Tips

Three-time champions and Chennai Super Kings, will look for a solid comeback after missing out on play-offs for the first time in 2020.

CSK Team Information

Chennai Super Kings were well below par last season, as they finished seventh – their lowest ever finish in the IPL. They had previously never failed to finish in the top four and had been among the favourites after their runners-up spot in 2019.

The three-time champions – and five-time runners-up – have stuck with their experienced stars, however, and strengthened well. MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis and Imran Tahir are all retained, while Moeen Ali and Krishnappa Gowtham join the fray.

At the other end of the experience scale, Ruturaj Gaikwad emerged as a key player in 2020 too with a series of half-centuries to showcase his burgeoning talent.

This season could truly mark the passing of the guard for the Super Kings, with players like Gaikwad front and centre. Chennai could have ripped things up and started again in 2021 after a poor campaign but they resisted that urge.

Still, there is no denying that things just did not click in 2020, and it is difficult to confidently back them to reach the play-offs with a similar squad as a result.

CSK Squad changes

Chennai Super Kings added even more experience to their squad with the pre-auction signing of Robin Uthappa for Rs 3 crore. With Shane Watson retiring and Harbhajan Singh, Kedar Jadhav and Piyush Chawla released, however, there were plenty of funds in the Super Kings’ kitty.

With that money, Moeen Ali, Krishnappa Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara, Harishankar Reddy, K. Bhagath Varma and Chezhian Harinishanth all arrived in the auction.

Only all-rounders Moeen and Gowtham really broke the bank, however, and it will be the core of last season’s team that carry the Chennai Super Kings’ hopes in 2021.

Expert Prediction for CSK

Sixth

Chennai were well below par last season but have not made many squad changes and will be reliant on the same players for the most part. Their aging squad has enjoyed success in the past but they are heavily reliant on younger players like Sam Curran, Lungi Ngidi and Ruturaj Gaikwad for success now. 

While Faf du Plessis, MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo remain assets, the play-offs could once again be beyond Chennai, who may need to rip up the playbook for next season if that does prove the case.

Can CSK Win IPL 2021?

After their poor performance last season, Chennai Super Kings are now 8.00 to win the 2021 Indian Premier League with Bet365 and 7.50 to win with Betway. That puts them about mid-price but they are going to need a serious improvement if they are to reach the play-offs.

Delhi Capitals the IPL final in 2021 and can be backed again to reach the finals this time.

DC Team Information

What’s in a name? Apparently a lot when it comes to Delhi Capitals – since changing their name from Delhi Daredevils, things have got better and better for last season’s runners-up.

The Capitals reached the play-offs for the first time in seven years in 2019 and went one better last season as they played in their first ever final.

Defeat to Mumbai Indians means their search for a maiden IPL title goes on, but with Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer leading their batting and Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje among the tournament’s top bowlers, things look positive again in 2021.

Nortje could be one of the top bargains in the tournament, at just Rs 89.82 lakh, and his retention was key.

In fact, Delhi have retained most of the players who led last season’s charge to the final, with Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin also among their top players.

DC Squad changes

A couple of pre-auction sales, as Daniel Sams and Harshal Patel departed, and the releasing of Alex Carey, Jason Roy, Mohit Sharma, Keemo Paul, Sandeep Lamichhane and Tushar Deshpande means the majority of the Capitals’ squad is unchanged.

They have acquired well, however – Steve Smith being the most notable acquisition at just Rs 2.2 crores, while Tom Curran and Sam Billings also bolster their overseas numbers.

Umesh Yadav was also picked up in the auction, while Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala and M Siddharth also join on the domestic front.

Expert Prediction for DC

Final

Delhi Capitals have retained all of the players that powered them into last season’s IPL final and are going to be among the top teams again this season. With Anrich Nortje in the wickets, to complement the outstanding IPL form of compatriot Kagiso Rabada, and the batting of Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, they have strength in all departments.

Marcus Stoinis and Ravichandran Ashwin add to the quality of this side, and they should be targeting at least the final again.

Can DC Win IPL 2021?

Delhi Capitals are 6.50 to win the 2021 Indian Premier League with Bet365 and 5.50 with Betway. That puts them second-favourites and reflects the fact they finished as runners-up last season with a very similar squad.

Punjab Kings are one of the teams still searching for a first IPL title, despite having topped the league in 2014 and finished as runners-up. They have not reached the play-offs in any of the last six seasons.

PBKS Team Information

Punjab Kings enter a new era following their name change, as their search for a first IPL title goes on.

They have only ever reached one final, finishing as runners-up in 2014, and last season’s sixth-place finish made it five years in a row since they last even qualified for the play-offs.

They boasted the top batsman in the tournament last season, however, in KL Rahul, and Chris Gayle’s resurgence adds to the quality of their top-order.

They have made some strong acquisitions on paper too –  Dawid Malan, Moises Henriques have all arrived, as well as Shahrukh Khan. It is a large overhaul of their overseas quota.

Dawid Malan’s fine T20i record took a hit in the recent India vs England series – suggesting he may not hit his best form on the Indian tracks.

All in, it is a strong squad on paper but the strength in depth remains the biggest concern – beyond their biggest stars, they still seem to lack the star quality to end their long search for a place in the play-offs.

To replace Jhye Richardson, PBKS have signed England spinner Adil Rashid to their squad.

PBKS Squad changes

Punjab Kings made several big changes for 2020, but that has not stopped them going big at the auction again in 2021.

Glenn Maxwell’s return lasted just one season, with the Australian all-rounder released alongside Krishnappa Gowtham, Karun Nair, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Sheldon Cottrell to free up some much-needed funds.

James Neesham, Hardus Viljoen, J Suchith and Tajinder Singh were also released, which left plenty of space for new recruits.

Moises Henriques bolsters the experience of this squad, while Dawid Malan’s T20 record speaks for itself – and, despite not hitting top form against India this month, he did sign off from the five-match T20i series with another half-century for England.

Shahrukh Khan was one of the most expensive Indian players in the auction, meanwhile, as the Tamil Nadu batsman looks to make a mark in the IPL for the first time.

Jalaj Saxena, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian and Saurabh Kumar round-off a much-changed Punjab Kings squad.

As Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith are also part of the Australian bunch who are unavailable, PBKS has signed another Aussie pacer Nathan Ellis to their squad. Ellis has performed well against Bangladesh in the recent T20I series. 

Expert Prediction for PBKS

Seventh

While Punjab Kings have strengthened on paper, they are still dependent on the same homegrown players as ever – namely KL Rahul and Mohammed Shami. The last two seasons have proved they cannot lead this team on their own.

Can PBKS Win IPL 2021?

Punjab Kings are outsiders for the 2021 IPL, at 10.00 to win with Bet365 and a massive 13.00 to win with Betway. They are not expected to even reach the semi-finals at those prices and it would be a big surprise if they were to do anything in this year’s tournament.

Kolkata Knight Riders missed on a playoff spot last seasons on the net run rate and will look to consolidate in this edition of IPL.

KKR Team Information

Two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders have seen their star fade in recent years, after failing to make it to the play-offs in each of the last two seasons – finishing fifth both times.

They had previously qualified for the play-offs in three consecutive seasons, but their narrow miss last season has not dissuaded them overall.

Kolkata released just six players, retaining all of their big-ticket stars, including England captain Eoin Morgan and Australia seaming star Pat Cummins.

Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are also sticking around, though Kolkata need more from their West Indian all-rounders if they are to get back into the play-offs.

A lack of runs from those two and a lack of match-winning bowling performances all counted against them overall.

Narine is under pressure in 2021, however, with Shakib Al Hasan added to the squad in the IPL auction – the Bangladeshi star having served his ban for not reporting a match fixing approach.

Shakib could be a key man, and if Kolkata’s all-rounders shine they have some of the best in the world.

The key will be their wider squad, and their home-grown heroes. Realistically, however, not much has changed personnel-wise from last season, so the key will be better performances from their big-money superstars.

In the latest development, KKR has replaced its pacer Pat Cummins with Tim Southee after Cummins was announced unavailable due to personal reasons.

KKR Squad changes

Kolkata Knight Riders made big changes in 2020 after finishing fifth the previous year but they opted against repeating the trick for 2021.

Instead, they have retained Eoin Morgan and Pat Cummins – two of their biggest purchases last season – and bolstered their ranks by adding Shakib Al Hasan too.

Only five players were released – the most notable of whom was Tom Banton, who only played twice last season anyway.

Also coming in, meanwhile, are former India stars Harbhajan Singh and Karun Nair – both of whom are very low prices with their best days behind them.

Still, they add experience to a squad that also now features Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Venkatesh Iyer and Pawan Negi. Ben Cutting is an overseas alternative, meanwhile.

Expert Prediction for KKR

Fifth

If all of Kolkata Knight Riders’ star men hit top form, they have the quality with bat and ball to go big in this tournament. The problem is, most of those same players did not hit the consistency needed to lift them into the play-offs in 2020.

Eoin Morgan is a top captain, and stars like Andre Russell could make a big mark, but their strength is depth is lacking and it could be a third consecutive year of just missing out on the play-offs for KKR.

Can KKR Win IPL 2021?

Kolkata Knight Riders are 7.00 to win the IPL with Bet365 and 8.00 with Betway. They are priced among the middle runners, which reflects the fact they will need more consistency from their biggest stars – many of whom are the same players who finished fifth last season – if they are even to reach the play-offs.

Last year’s champions, Mumbai Indians, are favourites to defend their crown and win the IPL 2021 title.

MI Team Information

Winners for the second consecutive season, and fifth time overall, Mumbai Indians are favourites once again to continue their stunning IPL record.

It is easy to see why too, with very few changes from a squad that proved too strong for their rivals in 2020. Lasith Malinga is a notable departure but he did not feature last season.

Instead, it has once again been an off-season of very few changes – with the same key players from the last couple of years at the heart of this squad again.

They are have strength in all departments, from the top of the batting order with Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock, to rising Indian batting stars Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav, all-rounder Kieron Pollard and the Pandyas and wicket-taking bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult and Rahul Chahar.

It is hard to find a weak link in this team and they are rightly favourites to win the IPL title yet again.

MI Squad changes

Mumbai Indians have kept things simple for 2021. Nathan Coulter-Nile was traded out for a lower price and Lasith Malinga has now officially retired, but there was little movement of note for the champions in the IPL auction.

Adam Milne and Piyush Chawla were the most expensive acquisitions aside from Coulter-Nile, while Arjun Tendulkar – son of Sachin – was never likely to sign for any other franchise.

Marco Jansen, James Neesham and Yudhvir Charak were not bank-breaking signings either.

Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell McClenaghan, Prince Balwant Rai, Digvijay Deshmukh and replacement signing James Pattinson were all released but there is no question the Mumbai squad is as strong as ever.

Mumbai Indians will eventually have to freshen things up, but for now the only key is that their established stars remain hungry for success.

Expert Prediction for MI

Champions

Mumbai Indians have found a winning formula and have wisely not messed with that for this season, as the same stars look to lead them to more success this season. 

Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav are playing for Indian T20 World Cup places, meanwhile, and that adds another dimension to their other more established star names in a squad with no weak link.

Batting through the order, bowling – seam and spin – and all-rounders who can deliver match-winning performances consistently make Mumbai favourites once more.

Can MI Win IPL 2021?

The easy answer is yes, Mumbai can win the 2021 Indian Premier League and they are favourites to as well. Mumbai Indians can be backed at 4.33 to win the 2021 IPL with Bet365 and 4.20 with Betway.

They are comfortable favourites and having stuck with the same winning formula as the last two seasons it is easy to see why. Theirs is a squad with so much strength in depth.

Rajasthan Royals, winners of the inaugural Indian Premier League back in 2008, will be looking to bounce back after finishing last following a disappointing 2020 campaign.

RR Team Information

Bottom of the pile last season, Rajasthan Royals are once again among the outsiders in 2021 – and Jofra Archer’s fitness concerns only add to that.

Rajasthan were last in 2020 and yet still boasted the tournament MVP in Archer – which highlighted the huge gulf between Rajasthan’s star men and the rest of the squad.

There is a serious lack of strength in depth in this squad, and the fact Archer is struggling with injury should be a big concern.

Steve Smith is gone, but they have not reinvested particularly wisely – throwing most of their free cash at South African all-rounder Chris Morris.

That is not to do down a man who took 11 wickets and bowled economically for Royal Challengers Bangalore last season, but it does not fix the lack of the depth in this squad.

Bottom of the pile in 2020, Rajasthan Royals – who were seventh and off the pace in the season before too – look set for another disappointing season in 2021.

Jos Buttler has also announced that he will be unavailable for the upcoming leg of the IPL 2021 citing personal reasons. To replace Buttler, Rajasthan Royals signed New Zealand hitter Glenn Phillips.

RR Squad changes

Rajasthan Royals made mass changes in 2020, signing 11 players, but they still lack strength in depth and have not really fixed that in 2021 either.

Captain Steve Smith has been released, after their last-placed finish last season, and Ankit Rajpoot, Varun Aaron, Tom Curran, Oshane Thomas, Shashank Singh and Aniruddha Joshi have also moved on.

Most of the free cash was spent on acquiring Chris Morris, however – he cost an eye-watering Rs 16.25 crore, to become the IPL’s most expensive ever player.

While his all-round ability should not be done down, he has hardly played since taking a modest 11 wickets in nine matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore last season – raising questions as to whether he justifies that price.

Shivam Dube was their most expensive domestic signing, meanwhile at Rs 4.4 crore, and he joins the likes of Mustafizur Rahman, Liam Livingstone, Chetan Sakariya, Kuldip Yadav and K.C. Carriapa in signing on.

With Archer injured, Rahman could play a bigger role now than his Rs 1 crore price suggested when he first signed up.

Expert Prediction for RR

Eighth

Rajasthan Royals seriously lack any strength in depth. Too often, if their top stars do not fire then they do not either. Chris Morris was a big-money purchase in the IPL auction but he cannot fix every one of the Royals’ problems and Jofra Archer’s injury is a huge blow.

If he misses out, Rajasthan could be set for another disappointing tournament. Even if he plays, there is not enough depth to this team to confidently back them.

Can RR Win IPL 2021?

Rajasthan Royals are outsiders for the 2021 IPL, at 10.00 with Bet365 and 8.50 with Betway. They were bottom of the pile in 2020 and they are not expected to fare much better in 2021 either.

Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore continue their search for a first IPL title and will be desperate to go one step ahead after reaching play-offs last year

RCB Team Information

Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore are looking to build on a much-improved 2020, as the India captain prepares to open the batting in practice for the T20 World Cup.

A successful opening partnership with Rohit Sharma in the fifth T20i against England led India to a big win and Kohli has his eye on replicating that success with RCB now.

Sharma has captain Mumbai Indians to the last two IPL titles, while Kohli craves success in one of the world’s most high-profile sporting leagues.

With Devdutt Padikkal emerging as a star player last season too, and RCB retaining the experienced duo of Kohli and AB de Villiers they have a batting line-up packed with talent.

Glenn Maxwell and Kyle Jamieson were big-money acquisitions, meanwhile, and Dan Christian was another overseas pick and arrives with T20 success woven into his DNA.

Christian enjoyed yet another BBL title earlier this year and, while he joins a team with no previous title in this tournament, they are certainly a team to watch this time out.

RCB Squad changes

Royal Challengers Bangalore wrung the changes in 2020, but that has not stopped them making some high-profile changes for 2021 too.

Aaron Finch and Chris Morris were on their released list – the latter making a huge-money switch to Rajasthan as a result.

Moeen Ali, Isuru Udana, Dale Steyn, Shivam Dube, Umesh Yadav, Pawan Negi, Gurkeerat Mann and the now-retired Parthiv Patel were also on the outgoing list.

In their place comes Glenn Maxwell and Kyle Jamieson, while Dan Christian is an experienced arrival too.

Sachin Baby, Mohammed Azharuddeen, KS Bharat, Rajast Patidar and Suyash Prabhudessai were also picked up in the IPL auction.

Josh Philippe’s withdrawal from the tournament for personal reasons forced RCB into a late change too – Finn Allen signing as a replacement player after just 13 career matches 

In the latest update, RCB has signed Singaporean batsman Tim David to replace Finn Allen who is unavailable due to national duties.

RCB has also roped in Sri Lankan cricketers Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera to strengthen their squad. Hasaranga is a spinner who has been in the highlights lately because of his performances and Chameera is a pacer who has recovered from an injury and is now fit for action.

As Washington Sundar is unavailable due to finger injury, RCB has added Akash Deep to replace him. Akash Deep is a domestic level cricketer from Bengal team and has been a part of RCB net practices.

Expert Prediction for RCB

Play-offs

Royal Challengers Bangalore were much-improved last season, with Devdutt Padikkal’s breakthrough season with the bat a key part of that. He arrives on the back of four consecutive List A centuries for Karnataka and in that sort of form, he can lead RCB to the play-offs again.

Add in the experience and undoubted quality of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers and you can see why they are fancied for another run to the play-offs. Kyle Jamieson is a key signing too, as they look to add more wickets to their bowling attack.

Can RCB Win IPL 2021?

Royal Challengers Bangalore have never won the IPL and finished bottom of the pile in 2017 and 2019 and yet their run to the play-offs last season suggest they could be dark horses in 2021. They are 6.50 to win with Bet365 and 6.00 with Betway.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, the 2016 champions and 2018 runners-up, will be looking to reach the IPL playoffs for a sixth consecutive season.

SRH Team Information

Winners in 2016, Sunrisers Hyderabad have never failed to reach the play-offs since and having retained almost all of last season’s squad once again, they will hope for more of the same in 2021.

After keeping 18 players on for 2020, Sunrisers retained 22 players this time around and, led by David Warner, will hope consistency pays off.

Warner and Jonny Bairstow lead the batting, alongside New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, while Manish Pandey proved his batting worth last season too.

They then have Afghan superstar Rashid Khan leading their bowling, and have added his countryman Mujeeb Ur Rahman to their ranks this season too.

Jason Holder was a key all-rounder and another top overseas player in 2020, meanwhile, adding even more international captaincy experience to this side.

In short, Sunrisers have stand-out players with the bat and ball – but their problem could be a familiar one, in that they are too reliant on those stars to take the step from play-offs to winners.

SRH Squad changes

After retaining 22 of last season’s squad, there was not an awful lot of spaces to fill in the Sunrisers squad for this season.

Sanjay Yadav, Bavanaka Sandeep, Billy Stanlake, Fabian Allen and Prithvi Raj were the quintet to make way, and Hyderabad added just three players in their place.

Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav and Mujeeb Ur Rahman were the three to arrive, for a combined Rs 370 lakhs – good quality for that price, in all fairness.

Mujeeb provides ample back-up to countryman Rashid Khan and could form a two-pronged Afghan spin attack, with Suchith a further spin-bowling back-up.

Jadhav is an experienced batsman, meanwhile, and very occasional bowler too. A former IPL winner with Chennai Super Kings, he arrives in good batting form at domestic level with Maharashtra too.

Expert Prediction for SRH

Play-offs

Sunrisers Hyderabad are unspectacular but very consistent in the IPL, and can continue their run of play-off places in 2021. They have finished in the top four in each of the last five seasons, and have retained almost every player who helped them to finish third last season.

David Warner leads a strong batting line-up and their top bowler also happens to be the top bowler in world T20 cricket, Rashid Khan. With more strength in depth they would be title contenders, but a play-off place has to be considered an absolute minimum.

Can SRH Win IPL 2021?

Sunrisers Hyderabad are 7.00 to win the 2021 IPL with Bet365 and 7.50 with Betway. They are among the middle-runners, but their consistency in this tournament and run of success in reaching the play-offs shows why that could be a generous price. That said, it is difficult to see them overcoming the favourites, particularly as they remain overly-reliant on a small core of players.