Perhaps the biggest challenge when assessing this year’s Indian Premier League is trying to establish, following another mega-auction in December, which of the franchises have actually improved from last season.

Big money was thrown around like confetti at the auction and so much made of various high-profile signings, but I’m not sure too many of the teams are in better shape than they were last year, and that makes for an interesting puzzle at this stage.

Last season was all about high scores and big runs, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad dominating in that department throughout, finishing first and second in the league table before KKR won a one-sided final between the two sides by nine wickets.

All change for the champions

But in the case of KKR, I fear they are not quite as strong as they were 12 months ago. Sure, this remains a fine outfit with that old KKR core of Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Varun Chakravarthy, but Ajinjya Rahane replacing Shreyas Iyer as captain looks a real downgrade for this tournament, especially with the bat.

Varun Chakravarthy has enjoyed a fine few months

Phil Salt has left for Royal Challengers Bengaluru having plundered 435 runs last term, and the ageing Quinton de Kock might struggle to have the same impact. Mitchell Starc has gone, too, and his replacement, Anrich Nortje, has been plagued by injuries in recent times.

KKR have been big drifters in the outright market in the last week or so, now out to 9/1, and while they will have their moments, this side doesn’t tick as many boxes as last year, with similar comments possibly applying to Rajasthan Royals who have lost Jos Buttler, Ravi Ashwin, Trent Boult and Yuzi Chahal from their excellent team of the last few seasons.

That will hurt them, particularly the departures of Buttler and Chahal, and Jofra Archer and Wanindu Hasaranga will need to perform very well, and stay fit, to ensure the Royals are competitive again.

They might just do that, and the batting remains strong through Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson, but one wonders whether they missed the boat three years ago when losing in the final.

Buttler has switched to Gujarat Titans and his opening partnership with Shubman Gill there promises much, but the middle order looks light, and their death bowling would concern me a little now Mohit Sharma has joined Delhi Capitals.

Lucknow Super Giants will hope the record signing of Rishabh Pant will transform their fortunes following a moderate 2024 campaign, and he and Nicholas Pooran could cause real damage when batting together.

Who opens the batting is less straightforward, while a dependency on their overseas players means the bowling will rely heavily on their Indian contingent.

The Capitals can be backed at 12/1 and immediately after the auction, some might have argued this was one franchise that had improved.

KL Rahul and Harry Brook appealed as excellent additions to the batting unit, the former an experienced, high-class opener who ought to prove the perfect foil for his more aggressive teammates.

No Harry Brook in the IPL again this year

However, Brook has since opted out of the tournament, and with the fear that Jake Fraser-McGurk won’t be able to repeat his heroics of last season, possibly too Tristan Stubbs, there are suddenly some concerns about where the runs will come from.

I do quite like the bowling, though, led by brilliant wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and boosted by the signings of Starc and Sharma. The ground in Delhi was a batsman’s paradise last season, so a reliable attack is a must.

Whether the Capitals improve on last season’s sixth-placed finish in the regular season will likely come down to how well those two young batters already mentioned gel with Rahul, though the latter is reportedly set to miss the first few games – a big blow.

Punjab set to pack a punch under Ponting

While the jury is still out on whether the Capitals have improved, I can’t believe Punjab Kings won’t better their five wins and ninth-place finish last term.

Ricky Ponting comes in as head coach, having been with the Capitals last season, and has cleared out plenty of dead wood, making room for the aforementioned Iyer and Chahal, while Australia pair Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis come with real IPL pedigree. Look out for exciting Indian batsman Nehal Wadhera, too – picked up from Mumbai Indians.

Perhaps this season will come a year too soon for Punjab, but double-figure prices are tempting about a side that is sure to prove very dangerous when everything clicks.

Punjab really should take a step forward, though they certainly needed to make some changes, while the likes of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings have merely added to already strong squads.

I’ll start with Sunrisers who in many ways were the story of the 2024 season, turned inside out under the tutelage of head coach Dan Vettori and new captain Pat Cummins, eventually finishing runners-up.

Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins

In years gone, Hyderabad had always been one of the hardest places to bat in the IPL as the home side looked to hand every advantage to wrist spinner and key man Rashid Khan.

With Rashid long gone, Cummins and co demanded something completely different and the pitches served up last year were in complete contrast to the days of old, allowing the likes of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen to show their true colours. Sunrisers posted three of the four highest scores last season, the best 287-3 away to RCB, followed by 277-3 at home to Mumbai.

If Sunrisers did need to improve, it was with the ball, and they've done that by signing Mohammed Shami and Adam Zampa. Crucially, Shami gives them a world-class new ball operator who doesn’t take up a priceless overseas slot. As a result, Cummins can now take on the responsibility of bowling those hard overs in the middle phase.

With Shami, Sunrisers might just have added the final piece to their jigsaw, though they have hardened up considerably in the last few weeks and 9/2 is the general price available about them now.

Aside from the concern that the value has now been squeezed out of their price, you do get the sense this team is very much all-or-nothing. If that top three fires consistently then of course they will go close, but I’m not absolutely certain the depth is there should a big player suffer a loss of form.

And the way the likes of Head and Abhishek play, a poor run of form could be catastrophic. There will be no middle ground with this team, and as such, I’ll let them go now they are vying for favouritism.

What are the best bets?

Alongside Sunrisers at the top of the market are CHENNAI SUPER KINGS, five-time IPL winners and backed to bring up their sixth title this year.

You only have to go back to 2023 for the Super Kings’ last IPL win, when dramatically beating the Titans in the final, and they were also successful in 2021. When it comes to franchise pedigree, or more specifically IPL pedigree, the Super Kings have it in spades.

The main reason for that is continuity. Stephen Fleming has been head coach at the Super Kings for the vast majority of the IPL’s history, forming a close relationship with the evergreen MS Dhoni who, while no longer captain, remains a key part of the leadership group.

MS Dhoni leads his CSK team onto the field

MS Dhoni is back for another season at CSK

Throw Super Kings stalwart Ravi Jadeja into the mix, along with returning veteran Ravi Ashwin – his partner in crime with India for so many years – and there is experience aplenty in this squad, particularly in the spin department which has been further boosted by the arrival of Afghanistan wrist spinner Noor Ahmad.

Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is another for whom the yellow jersey is all he’s ever known, and he was the second-highest runscorer in the competition last year when averaging 53. Devon Conway is back, having missed out last season through injury following his 672-run campaign in 2023. That is a seriously solid opening partnership.

New Zealand superstar Rachin Ravindra was disappointing in his IPL debut season last term, but the Super Kings have remained loyal, well aware of his rich talent and no doubt thrilled to see the elegant left-hander finish as the leading runscorer in the recent Champions Trophy.

Then comes the middle order, headed by the powerful Shivam Dube, wily veteran Deepak Hooda, then the likes of Jadeja, Dhoni, Ashwin and the returning Sam Curran who continues to impress with bat and ball in franchise competitions all around the world – performances that only England appear not to appreciate.

Fleming wanted Curran back a couple of years ago when outbid by Punjab, but the Super Kings have their man now and he ought to prove a very handy foil for crack death bowler Matheesha Pathirana who is very much Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga Mark II, and claimed 13 wickets from only six appearances last season.

If Pathirana can stay fit, Chennai look to boast an outstanding bowling attack, loaded with spin for their home matches on a ground which has historically been the most spin-friendly in the competition. Moreover, they have enough pace and death expertise to pack a punch that way, too, and Australian Nathan Ellis was very good at the Champions Trophy. He is a strong back-up.

Like Sunrisers, I’m struggling to find many holes in this starting XI, but I do think this Super Kings squad is less reliant on a handful of star performers and looks a more well-rounded outfit. Sunrisers have gone some way to addressing that this season, but the Super Kings still appear better balanced throughout.

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With that IPL pedigree also in their corner, I make them a more solid option than Sunrisers at a similar price, and I’ll be disappointed if anyone taking the 5/1 now isn’t in a good position later in the campaign.

In addition to the outright bet, I also like the look of a top 2 league finish for the Super Kings (11/4), whose home record in particular makes this bet very appealing.

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And that leaves two teams to assess, both IPL giants for different reasons.

RCB have always been one of the most hyped franchises in the IPL, but they are still to win this famous competition, despite having had some of the biggest stars in world cricket in their squad.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli remains and, despite his detractors, amassed 741 runs last season, making him the outstanding batsman of the tournament once again. His potential opening partnership with Phil Salt does whet the appetite.

So, too, does the return of Josh Hazlewood, but depth and balance is thin on the ground, and while they will no doubt score big, and occasionally win big, especially at home, I don’t see them as title contenders.

Mumbai Indians not the force of old

Nor too MUMBAI INDIANS, who along with the Super Kings are the most successful franchise in the competition’s history. But those days are long gone and this side has finished bottom of the league table in two of the last three editions.

Even last year, with pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah fit again, Mumbai finished rock bottom as Rohit Sharma’s axing as captain failed to pay off. Hardik Pandya gets another crack as skipper this season, but another challenging start could see the wheels fall off once again.

Positives are the signings of Ryan Rickelton and Trent Boult, both top-notch internationals, but that immediately takes up two overseas slots, and I’d worry about this bowling attack if Bumrah – who is currently recovering from another serious injury – doesn’t make a swift return to fitness. We already know he won’t make the start of Mumbai’s campaign.

The batting has more going for it, but the likes of Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma were all here last season and were unable to stop the train derailing from a very early stage.

My concern for Mumbai supporters would be that another poor start, without Bumrah, could see the pressure mount on their captain, and leave the franchise quickly looking to next season, as was the case last year.

There are probably weaker squads, and certainly weaker XIs than Mumbai’s, but cricket isn’t played on paper and recent evidence suggests this is a team and franchise on the downgrade.

When you throw in the fact they are 28/1 to finish bottom, making them the outsiders in this market, they have to be worth a dart.