IPL 2023: 5 Outright Bets to Take

The 2023 edition of the IPL gets underway tomorrow, with the defending champions Gujarat Titans taking on Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Lwanele Poswayo has 5 Outright Bets to Take before the start of the tournament.

Winner Outright Odds

Gujarat Titans (6.50)

Royal Challengers Bangalore (7.50)

Mumbai Indians (7.50)

Rajasthan Royals (7.50)

Delhi Capitals (8.50)

Lucknow Super Giants (8.50)

Chennai Super Kings (9.00)

Sunrisers Hyderabad (10.00)

Kolkata Knight Riders (11.00)

Punjab Kings (12.00)

Anrich Nortje

Anrich Nortje has been Delhi Capitals’ most consistent bowler in the past few seasons when he’s been fit. He’s also been one of the best T20 bowlers in the world, with his performances in the last two T20 World Cups and the inaugural SA20 tournament testament to that.

He was the joint leading wicket-taker in the inaugural SA20, with 20 wickets and even though he will miss the first few games due to the Proteas’ ODI series against the Netherlands, I still see him being amongst the leading wicket-takers this season. Back him to be DC’s top bowler.

Devon Conway

Devon Conway missed the first few games of last season but still managed to have a decent tournament for Chennai Super Kings. He scored 252 runs in 7 matches at an average of 42.00, striking at 145.66. His partnership with Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top of the order will be crucial if CSK are going to go all the way this season.

Suryakumar Yadav

The Mumbai Indians have several talented batters in their squad but my only concern is their inconsistency. Even though “SKY” hasn’t been at his best of late, he is the most consistent batter in the MI squad. We all saw how good he was in this format for India in 2022 and I expect him to regain the form that won him the T20 Cricketer of the Year award last year. Back him to be MI’s top batter at 3.00.

Aiden Markram

The newly appointed South African T20 and Sunrisers Hyderabad captain has had a fantastic start to 2023. Aiden Markram captained Sunrisers Eastern Cape as they won the inaugural SA20, where he was named the tournament’s MVP. He followed that up with a century on his Test return against the West Indies.

Like Nortje, he will miss the first few games of the tournament, which might diminish his chance of being SRH’s or the tournament’s leading run-scorer, which is why his odds are so high. Despite that and if he bats in the top four, I see him being the Sunrisers’ top batter. Look out for England’s Harry Brook, who’s been brilliant in the past 12 months.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad have recruited well for this year’s campaign with most of their players in top form. They have a balanced squad, with match-winners in both the batting and bowling departments. Markram and Harry Brook could form a destructive middle order, with Glenn Phillips or Heinrich Klaasen if the management can find room for another overseas batsman. Bringing in Mayank Agarwal to open the batting was another smart piece of business.

Their bowling also looks strong with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T. Natarajan, Umran Malik, Marco Jansen and Adil Rashid in the squad. If they are able to find their best XI early in the tournament, I see them having a great campaign where they make the final or even win the tournament.