Cricket expert Richard Mann picks out his best bets in the individual markets for the upcoming Indian Premier League.
Recommended bets: IPL - individual markets
1pt e.w. Colin Munro top Indian Premier League batsman at 25/1
1pt e.w. Manan Vohra top Indian Premier League batsman at 50/1
2pts Bhuvneshwar Kumar top Indian Premier League bowler at 10/1
3pts Lokesh Rahul top Kings XI Punjab Indian Premier League batsman at 9/2
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IPL 2018 gets under way on Saturday and as ever, there are a multitude of betting opportunities, aside from the outright market.
The top tournament batsman offers plenty of value for those wanting a long-term fancy at a decent price and there might be a couple of gems to be had this year.
As covered in the outright preview here, Dehli Daredevils look set for a good season and Colin Munro could be one of the men who ignites their campaign.
The opening batsman has become something of a limited overs specialist and his performances for New Zealand in T20 cricket over the last few years have been exceptional.
Since the beginning of 2017, Munro has averaged an impressive 44.86 in T20Is - at a staggering strike-rate of 179.94 - with three hundreds.
He is a player at the peak of his powers right now and could form an exciting opening partnership for Dehli alongside the experienced Gautam Gambhir.
He looks worth a bet to win the Orange Cap with 25/1 making plenty of appeal.
Another who I simply have to have on side in the same market is Manan Vohra at 50/1.
Vohra is a supremely-gifted young batsman whose solid record probably doesn’t do justice to a player of his undoubted potential.
His brilliant 95 for Kings XI Punjab against a high-class Sunrisers Hyderabad attack in last year’s IPL was an indication of what he is capable of and although flattering to deceive thereafter, it is hoped that the move to Royal Challengers Bangalore can help him deliver on his immense promise.
With the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Brendon McCullum playing alongside him this season, he could hardly have three better mentors to learn from and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this proves the year when Vohra shows what he is truly capable of.
The top bowler market looks a little more straightforward with last year’s Purple Cap winner Bhuvneshwar Kumar making solid appeal again at 10/1.
Kumar is a demon with the new ball – his ability to swing the white kookaburra is second to none – and he has become one of the most reliable death bowlers in the game.
Kumar took 26 wickets in a stellar campaign last season and with swing-bowler Sandeep Sharma joining the Sunrisers' ranks this term, Kumar might face less of a burden up front and be able to bowl more overs late on.
That should bring his excellent yorkers ever more opportunities to take wickets and he rates excellent value at odds of 10/1.
Others to consider in this market are spinners Yuzvendra Chahal at 14/1 and Sunil Narine at 25/1 but I’m happy to stick with Kumar again.
A final bet worth flagging up is for the excellent Lokesh Rahul to be the top Kings XI Punjab runscorer at 9/2.
As stated in the outright preview, this could prove to be a tough season for Kings XI with an unbalanced squad potentially leaving them short in key areas.
The one exception is Rahul, who missed last year’s IPL through injury but enjoyed an excellent season for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016 when amassing 397 runs at a healthy average of 44.11.
Kings XI paid a pretty penny for his services at the auction in January and this classy top-order batsman should be highly motivated as he bids to re-establish himself as a regular in India’s T20 side.
Overseas players Aaron Finch and Chris Gayle take up a big chunk of the market here but the former might well be asked to bat in the middle order, as he has done with some success for Australia recently, while Gayle missed plenty of games through injury in this competition last year and the suspicion is that he is past his very best now.
For my money, Rahul is the best player in the Kings XI batting line-up and should play every game, barring injury, so the 9/2 available with Sky Bet rates excellent value.
Posted at 1550 BST on 05/04/18.
