Every cricket fan will tell you: there’s nothing quite as thrilling as the annual Indian Premier League (IPL). Although much newer than any other major cricket tournament, with the first IPL played as recently as 2008, the competition almost instantly shot to popularity. Today, the IPL is one of the most popular global cricket tournaments known to fans of the sport.

A unique tournament, and certainly an action-packed competition at that, the IPL has become a firm favourite among cricket-loving sports bettors. Below, we’ll take a look at how betting on the IPL should be approached, what to take note of, and how to turn the unique quirks of the tournament into real profit.

Getting To Know The Teams

Before the start of each season, IPL players are acquired on action. These auctions form a pivotal part of the makeup of the teams. This also helps keeps things interesting, because auctions can (and do!) lead to significant changes in annual IPL team-rosters.

The rules of the league state that no more than four non-Indian players are permitted to appear in the playing eleven on any given day. A total of 10 internationals may be included on the overall roster of a team.

A great way to determine the strengths of IPL players is to view the stats of each player online. There are several fantastic sites where career statistics can be viewed. Data on cricket sites and ESPN cover a world of information – including bowling data, batting averages, centuries, individual performances, team performances across every global tournament conceivable, and more.

T20 – A Different Kettle Of Fish

The IPL follows the rules and pace of T20 cricket – not unlike popular tournaments such as the Caribbean Premier League and the Big Bash League. These competitions, among many more just like them, can all be referred to when looking for T20-specific data about players, teams, past performances, etc.

Perhaps the golden rule when it comes to individual performance is this: if a player has struggled to make the transition to T20 cricket outside of India, they’re unlikely to do so in the IPL (the annual IPL is traditionally played in India).

Not all players are suited to cricket’s T20 format. Perhaps the best example of this is former Australian skipper Michael Clarke. Despite being considered one of the greatest cricketers to have walked the planet – ever! – Clarke, like many others like him, has largely failed at transferring his success on the pitch to the game’s shortest format.

International Schedules

Since IPL teams can only acquire players not otherwise engaged in the annual IPL time-slot, it’s important to take into consideration international schedules. Scheduling issues have been known to affect IPL teams in various ways.

Important to remember too is that players have the option of playing only a portion of an IPL tournament before heading back home or wherever else they might be required to represent their own nation in the international cricketing arena. It’s important to know exactly who it is that will be playing, as well as taking into account their availability between the months of March and May.