Premier Indian Cricket Tournament 2026 Betting Picks

2026 India Cricket Tournament Betting Picks & Predictions - Who Will Win the Premier T20 Competition

The T20 World Cup has come to an end once again, with India triumphing over New Zealand in the final. It sparked wild celebrations across the globe for Indian fans, but their attention now is firmly focused on domestic competition in the country.

The cricket season in India is ready to get underway with the nation’s premier T20 competition, and excitement is building for what will surely be another year of spills and thrills. So, who is in early contention, and how can you bet on cricket at Stake Sportsbook?

What is the Premier T20 Tournament in India?

While hockey may be the sport in which India is most successful, cricket is the country’s most popular sport, hands down, and that is reflected in domestic competition’s long and illustrious history. In its current guise, the top league of Indian cricket is a ten-franchise T20 league, T20 being the shortened format of the sport, where matches take around three hours.

History of the Cricket League

The current top-level Indian domestic cricket competition began in 2008, when eight teams from across the country came together to battle it out and be named the top team in T20 cricket. Australian Shane Watson was the inaugural most valuable player, and he would be joined in claiming that award by such greats as Sachin Tendulkar, Chris Gayle, and Virat Kohli.

Since then, a number of franchises have left, while others have been added, resulting in a competition that now features 10 franchises. Additionally, these franchises have become international brands, with teams in competitions like The Hundred in English cricket being bought up, with newly named sides like Sunrisers Leeds and Manchester Super Giants, the latter owned by Lucknow Super Giants, the only team to never reach the final of the Indian top flight.

Previous Cricket Champions and MVP Players

The Indian top cricket tournament has grown in size over the years, and that is reflected in the sheer number of different winners to have won the post-season final. The last 10 winners and the player of the season for that year are as follows:

• 2025 - Royal Challengers Bengaluru - Suryakumar Yadav

• 2024 - Kolkata Knight Riders - Sunil Narine

• 2023 - Chennai Super Kings - Shubman Gill

• 2022 - Gujarat Titans - Jos Buttler

• 2021 - Chennai Super Kings - Harshal Patel

• 2020 - Mumbai Indians - Joffra Archer

• 2019 - Mumbai Indians - Andre Russel

• 2018 - Chennai Super Kings - Sunil Narine

• 2017 - Mumbai Indians - Ben Stokes

• 2016 - Sunrisers Hyderabad - Virat Kohli

2026 Premier T20 Cricket Tournament Overview

The 2026 edition of the competition promises to be yet another thrill ride of a season, and there is plenty to be excited about. The Royal Challengers will be looking to hold on to their title, but they won’t have it all their way, with the Mumbai Indians looking strong after an auction in which they retained most of their squad.

Elsewhere, the Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings are looking strong, with key players like Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer retained, respectively. The Rajasthan Royals could be a strong outfit, with former Southern Brave star Jofra Archer and the West Indies top order batsman Shimron Hetmyer retained, and legend Ravindra Jadeja added to the squad.

Cameron Green set a record as the most-expensive non-Indian player in the competition when he was acquired by the Knight Riders for $3.0 million.

2026 is the first year that the competition has been expanded to 84 fixtures in total, meaning 80 will be played in the double round robin section, with the four playoffs once the qualifying teams are confirmed. It is expected that 2028 will see the full double round robin format introduced, increasing the number of matches to 94.

Schedule of 2026 T20 Cricket Tournament

The first round of matches has been released, and the first 20 fixtures will run from March 28 through April 12, with some interesting matchups already confirmed. Here are some particularly notable picks:

• Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Sunrisers Hyderabad - March 28

• Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders - March 29

• Rajasthan Royals v Chennai Super Kings - March 30

• Punjab Kings v Gujarat Titans - March 31

• Lucknow Super Giants v Delhi Capitals - April 01

• Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Chennai Super Kings - April 05

• Mumbai Indians v Royal Challengers Bengaluru - April 12

Who Will Win the 2026 Cricket Tournament?

It is always hard to predict the winner of a tournament that is decided by playoffs before the season gets underway, but there are certainly some early standouts.

Pre-Qualifier Predictions

Bengaluru defied the odds to win its debut Indian cricket league championship, and will certainly be amongst the favorites to do it again. However, even unfavored teams like the Super Giants have strengthened, making the most expensive signing in the league’s history with Rishabh Rajendra Pant last year.

However, it looks like a battle between the most successful sides, with the Mumbai Indians, the Super Kings and the Sunrisers all looking strong and ready to take on the incumbent champions. Mumbai should be favored to advance straight to Qualifier 1, but with so few games, a point or two here and there could be what decides teams’ fates.

Cricket Betting Odds, Betting Tips, & Strategies

You might not be able to guarantee that your chosen franchise will win or that you can predict the outcome of T20 Cricket World Cup matches - formerly known as the ICC World Twenty20 - but there are some tips and tricks to make it a smoother ride:

• Understand odds: Learn how to read odds, including in different formats like American and decimal. This will make it easier to make informed picks.

• Consider a strategy: Bankroll management is key, so consider using a strategy like the Kelly Criterion, which you can find out more about in our Stake blogs.

• Study the form: Not every player can be as consistently brilliant as Sachin Tendulkar was, so keep a close eye on performances and see if you can spot any weaknesses.

• Take advantage of promotions: Placing insured bets and making your bets go further are key considerations when wagering on cricket. Lucky for you, Stake offers some of the best cricket promotions you'll find for India's premier cricket series!

• First Ball Payout - Place a pre-match, single bet on either team in the Winner (Incl. Super Over) market and, if they hit a six on the first ball but go onto lose the match, you'll be paid out as a winner!

• Super Over Payout - Place a bet on any premier Indian match in the Winner (Incl. Super Over) market and, if your team loses in a Super Over, you'll be paid out as a winner!

• 50k Weekly SGM Prize Pool - Place a qualifying Same Game Multi bet on any premier Indian match during the promotional week to participate. Your first winning qualifying SGM bet will receive one share of the weekly prize pool!

How to Bet on Men's Cricket & Cricket Bet Types

It’s easy to get started with your cricket betting journey at Stake.com. All you need to do is follow these simple steps:

1. Sign up or log in to your account with a secure method, such as a passkey .

2. Make a deposit using local currency options like PHP, CAD, INR, USD in Ecuador, VND, TRY, ARS, CLP, and MXN or one of our available cryptocurrencies like BTC, TRX, SOL, ETH, USDT, EOS, Doge, and LTC. You can learn more with our crypto buying guide and local currency payment walkthrough.

3. Navigate to cricket from our list of sports betting markets, selecting your chosen competition from our extensive list.

What’s more, there are plenty of helpful guides to help you through the process.

Learning how to bet on sports, especially cricket betting, comes with challenges, such as betting terminology you may not be familiar with. If you want to learn how to bet on cricket, we have outlined a few betting types that you should know about.

• Match Winner - Also known as moneyline betting, you are predicting who will prevail. If the Rajasthan Royals are facing the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and you pick the Royals wins, you will get a return on your stake.

• Props - Prop betting is fun and can be split into team and individual performances. Player form can often influence prop picks.

• Specials - Specialty and novelty bets are more unique and can involve things that aren't directly related to the game itself, such as who will win the coin toss.

• Outrights - Outright betting involves wagering on who will win the tournament. Odds for this will be posted at most sportsbooks, including Stake, a few weeks or months before the competition starts.

Live Stream Cricket Matches & Live Cricket Betting

Live streaming is available at Stake, meaning you can watch live cricket matches via your desktop or mobile, so you can stay on top of the action. Simply look for the streaming logo next to upcoming fixtures. For more information, check out our live streaming guide.

Meanwhile, betting on live sports has been enhanced through in-play betting. Whether you are betting on the Bangladesh Premier League or Pakistan players at the Cricket World Cup in international cricket, you can keep tabs on your bet as the match unfolds and make adjustments. Cash out, for example, is a great facility if you are worried about things going pear-shaped. There are some differences when comparing live betting vs pre-match betting, so make sure you know what’s what!

Stake VIP Club & Responsible Betting

You can bowl yourself great sportsbook promotions with Stake, especially as a regular player. You are invited to join our VIP Club, where you can unlock exclusive rewards like rakebacks, reloads, and VIP hosts. Check out our VIP FAQs for more information!

It is important to always gamble responsibly. Find out more about staying in control by reading through our Stake Smart guidelines, and then use our monthly budget calculator and betting limit guide to determine how much you can afford to play with.