The cycle of T20 cricket never stops. With a World Cup final fresh in the memory, attention now turns to the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League.
Mumbai Indians are the cricket betting favourites as of March 23, trailed by defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Indian Premier League Winner Odds 2026:
- Mumbai Indians: 10/3
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 11/2
- Gujarat Titans: 7/1
- Punjab Kings: 15/2
- Chennai Super Kings: 8/1
- Sunrisers Hyderabad: 8/1
- Kolkata Knight Riders: 9/1
- Lucknow Super Giants: 9/1
- Delhi Capitals: 9/1
- Rajasthan Royals: 12/1
IPL 2026 Preview
The Top Four
The core Mumbai Indians group of Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, and Trent Boult was joined by Quinton de Kock. Mitchell Santner and Will Jacks are two upper-echelon spin-bowling all-rounders, while Tilak Varma and Ryan Rickelton provide firepower with the bat.
RCB ran it back for the most part, with Venkatesh Iyer and Jacob Bethell as their marquee additions. The raw power of Phil Salt and Tim David is an ideal complement to Virat Kohli, but it’s fair to question whether they have enough in the spin department.
Gujarat Titans – priced at 7/1 – are formidable, particularly if Jos Buttler can regain form. Mohammed Siraj, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, and Washington Sundar are a strong core bowling quartet, backed up by all-round addition Jason Holder. Buttler, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Tom Banton is potentially a destructive top four.
Punjab Kings have Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Priyansh Arya as their standout domestic performers. They are accompanied by the all-round talents of Marco Jansen and Marcus Stoinis and the high-speed, multi-variation right-arm of Lockie Ferguson.
Other Contenders
The Rajasthan Royals made a franchise-altering trade by sending out Sanju Samson – before his phenomenal World Cup – for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran.
It’s a deal that elevates their roster, even after Curran was replaced by Dasun Shanaka. This can be a formidable team if Jofra Archer is firing and Shimron Hetmyer replicates his explosive batting from the World Cup.
Chennai are an interesting prospect after finishing last 12 months ago. Akeal Hossein and Noor Ahmad is potentially a formidable spin duo, and we just saw how effective Matt Henry can be with the new ball.
The question, though, is whether Samson’s arrival, along with Dewald Brevis and Ruturaj Gaikwad, gives the Super Kings enough firepower in this era of 200+ scores being the norm.
IPL Outright Predictions
The release of Mustafizur Rahman and the overspend on Cameron Green make Kolkata Knight Riders vulnerable in this year’s tournament. Their bowling is heavily dependent on Varun Chakravarthy, who had his struggles in the World Cup. There’s firepower in the batting, but do they have the bowlers to keep them in games?
Rajasthan’s 12/1 price suggests they are being a bit underrated. Curran’s withdrawal is a major loss, but the bowling options look solid and the batting could be destructive with Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Hetmyer leading the way.
It was tempting to tip Gujarat at 7/1 to go all the way. There’s a case to be made that they have the strongest roster, with Holder’s acquisition giving them serious depth with the bat and ball.
The presence of Mumbai and the game-breaking Bumrah is what stopped the Titans being picked as the tournament winners. Mumbai didn’t need to do anything that flashy this winter – they are a lock to make the playoffs and we’ve just witnessed how much Bumrah’s four overs change the balance of T20 cricket.
Best Bets
- Rajasthan Royals to finish in top four: 5/2
- Kolkata Knight Riders to finish bottom: 12/1
- Gujarat Titans to reach the final: 4/1
- Mumbai Indians to finish in top four: 4/6
When Does the 2026 IPL Start?
The 2026 IPL begins on March 28 with Royal Challengers Bengaluru hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad. The playoffs begin on May 26 with the qualifiers, eliminator, and final.
Which English Players are Involved?
- Jamie Overton – Chennai Super Kings
- Ben Duckett – Delhi Capitals
- Jos Buttler – Gujarat Titans
- Luke Wood – Gujarat Titans
- Tom Banton – Gujarat Titans
- Will Jacks – Mumbai Indians
- Jofra Archer – Rajasthan Royals
- Jacob Bethell – Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- Phil Salt – Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- Jordan Cox – Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- Liam Livingston – Sunrisers Hyderabad
- Brydon Carse – Sunrisers Hyderabad
Previous IPL Winners
- 2025 – Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- 2024 – Kolkata Knight Riders
- 2023 – Chennai Super Kings
- 2022 – Gujarat Titans
- 2021 – Chennai Super Kings
- 2020 – Mumbai Indians
- 2019 – Mumbai Indians
- 2018 – Chennai Super Kings
- 2017 – Mumbai Indians
- 2016 – Sunrisers Hyderabad
- 2015 – Mumbai Indians
- 2014 – Kolkata Knight Riders
- 2013 – Mumbai Indians
- 2012 – Kolkata Knight Riders
- 2011 – Chennai Super Kings
- 2010 – Chennai Super Kings
- 2009 – Deccan Chargers
- 2008 – Rajasthan Royals
*Odds subject to change - prices accurate at the time of writing*
