Mumbai: As the Indian Premier League (IPL) draws to a close, gamblers are betting heavily on Sunday's final.
An estimated Rs 2.5 crore has changed hands during the Twenty20 tournament.
Saturday evening, sources said Rajasthan Royals captained by legendary spinner Shane Warne commanded a price of 0.75 paise for the finals.
This means that for every one rupee bet on the given team, the punter would get the current rate being quoted for it.
Similarly, Chennai Super Kings, pitted against Kings XI Punjab in the second semi-final Saturday night, command a price of Rs.1.50. The Punjab team's price is Rs.1.25, if it manages to reach the finals.
Surprisingly, if Punjab makes it to the finals, Rajasthan's rate would shoot to Rs.1.25, displaying gamblers' faith in the team led by Yuvraj Singh.
At the same time, if Chennai reach finals, it would command a price of Rs.1.75.
In initial days of the IPL in April, the top hot teams for the punters were Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai. Of the three, only Chennai reached the semis.
At that time, the Punjab team commanded poor odds of Rs.7, while Rajasthan was last at Rs.14.
Upsetting all calculations, the Rajasthan team has reached the finals.
The bookies have been operating with extreme caution to keep police and private security agencies at bay. The underworld is said to be close at hand and bets are accepted only online, through certain websites. Punters use confidential passwords that are changed after each match.
According to police sources, an estimated Rs.250 billion has changed hands in betting so far during the IPL and Rs.25 billion more may pour in depending on who the finalists are.
The heavy betting is attributed mainly to quick turnover for the punters, the oodles of glamour involved, huge monies at stake, and shorter match durations producing quick results.
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