IPL 2018 live stream: How to watch Indian Premier League cricket online and on TV

The Indian Premier League is the world’s most lucrative cricket tournament and sees every star trying to get a piece of the action.

The 2018 edition sees the return of the Rajasthan Royals and the Chennai Super Kings, both whom were slapped with a two-year suspension after the 2013 IPL gambling scandal because of illegal betting involvement by their owners.

The Royals have already been hit with the loss of their captain and star batsman after Steve Smith’s suspension for his role in Australia’s ball-tampering antics.

IPL LIVE STREAM - FOLLOW LIVE

The Australian will miss out on more than £1million of salary while the Royals have replaced one of cricket’s most prolific batsmen with South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen, costing them just £55,000.

But there are still plenty of star names to watch out for - so here's how to make sure you don't miss a minute of the action.

IPL 2018 TV channel

Sky Sports announced in January that they had agreed a “multi-year extension” to their current contract to show the IPL in the UK.

Every single one of the 60 IPL games in 2018 will be live on Sky Sports Cricket while some matches, including the final, will also be shown on Sky Sports Main Event.

In India, the broadcasting rights are owned by Star Sports. Star India will broadcast the IPL in six different languages - English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Bengali - across their 10 channels.

IPL 2018 live stream

Sky Sports’ coverage means that all the action can be followed on your desktop or laptop via the Sky Go app.

It is available to download on iOS and Android smartphone and tablet devices.

Sky Go is also available on a number of platforms including Amazon Fire devices, iPad, Mac computers and laptops, Playstation 3, PS4 and Xbox One.

The Sky Sports app, available to download on iOS and Android devices, will also be providing live text coverage and updates.

If you're not currently a Sky Sports customer but can't stand to miss out on the action, you can add the channels to your box via a NOW TV subscription.

Day passes, which let you add Sky Sports channels for 24 hours, start at £6.99 a day, with a weekly pass starting from £10.99, and no locking in to a contract.

NOW TV doesn't even require a typical television to use, as it is also available on a NOW TV Box, Chromecast, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Roku, LG Smart TV, PC or Mac, and selected mobile and tablet devices.

When does IPL 2018 start?

The Indian Premier League’s double round robin stage gets underway on April 7 when the Mumbai Indians face Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede Stadium.

The game will get underway at 8pm local time in Mumbai - or 3.30pm in the UK.

IPL 2018 match schedule

April 7 - May 20: Round robin matches

May 22: Qualifier 1 (1st vs 2nd)

May 23: Eliminator 1 (3rd vs 4th)

May 25: Loser of Q1 vs Winner of E1

May 27: Final - winner of Q1 vs winner of Q2