Bookmakers have bad news for Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta. Ahead of IPL II, they are putting money on Chennai Super Kings followed by the Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians with Deccan Chargers bringing up the rear.
Rates opened in Kolkata on Monday and even in the time of economic slowdown, business of Rs 25,000 crore is expected. That’s Rs 1000 crore more than last year. The bookies are looking at nearly Rs 450 crore for each match of the competition which begins in South Africa this weekend.
Having burnt their fingers last year with Bangalore Royal Challengers, the bookies are a lot more careful this time. “As it was a completely new concept with players from different countries in one team, it was very difficult to predict who would perform well,” a Mumbai bookie explained. The Bangalore team is fourth on the list of favourites this year.
The bookies are quoting MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings at Rs 4.3 for a rupee. This means, if the team wins, a punter would get Rs 5.3. From being second-last on the favourites’ list last year, Virender Sehwag’s Delhi Daredevils move up to second at Rs 4.7.
Shane Warne may talk of unleashing a ‘tornado’ or a ‘wild thing’ called Kamran Khan but losing Saturday’s friendly to Cape Cobras have hurt Rajasthan Royals’ ratings. They are being quoted at Rs 8.
“We had planned to open Rajasthan Royals’ rate at Rs 5.5 bringing them to third position but their poor performance in the practice match, that too against a local team, forced us to rethink,” the bookie said.
On Sourav Ganguly’s Knight Riders, the rate is Rs 8.25 which is 25 paisa less than the odds on Kings XI Punjab where Yuvraj Singh is king. Some distance behind are Deccan Chargers who will fetch Rs 11 for every rupee invested. Quite a comedown that from being second on the list last year.
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