Edited by Piyush Kashyap, Reviewed by Gulshan
India’s biggest T20 cricketing league, IPL or the Indian Premier League has witnessed phenomenal growth over the years and the new age tournament has amassed a massive viewership. Players from all over the world participate in this gala event organized by the Board of Cricket Control in India. This cricketing extravaganza is no short of a carnival and packs in tons of entertainment for every cricket lover. A lot of us like to watch the tournament on television but, for those who do not have access to TV sets or have to stay away from home, for work or other purposes, it becomes extremely difficult to follow the games.  Online streaming is also available through dedicated channels but not everyone manages to follow them, especially people outside India. Hotstar broadcasts all IPL matches online and can be seen live in India. But, the app is not available for people living in countries such as UK, USA, Australia, Canada, UAE and others. Official broadcasters have exclusive rights to live stream the IPL matches in different countries. Many of them are available online as well. Here’s how you can watch IPL matches online. Hotstar in IndiaIn India, Hotstar owns the right to broadcast live IPL matches online. It is a paid service and you can get the All Sports Pack for Rs 299 per year. With this package, you’ll get access to all the games played by the Indian cricket team, throughout the year. So, the subscription is not just limited to IPL matches. And if you love to watch other entertainment channels, choose the Hotstar Premium subscription for Rs 199 per month. But, if you are looking for free options to watch live IPL matches, you need to be an Airtel or Reliance Jio subscriber. Downloading the Airtel TV app on your smartphone or tablet will give you full access to the IPL matches. Similarly, if you are a Reliance Jio subscriber, you can watch the tournament with the Jio TV app. Hotstar in USA and CanadaThe Hotstar app can be used to watch IPL matches online in USA and Canada. But, it is a paid subscription and you need to pay per month. However, if you are thinking of using your Indian Hotstar account, it will not work. Since Hotstar subscriptions are region specific, you need to download the app from wherever you are currently residing. Sky Sports Now TV in UK and IrelandIn the UK and Ireland, Sky Sports Now TV holds the rights for online broadcasting of IPL matches. Monthly as well as bi-monthly subscriptions are available for this service. beIN Connect for Middle East & North Africa RegionIf you are currently residing in the Middle East or in the MENA region which includes countries such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt etc, beIN connect can stream the live matches online and it is available against a subscription fee. How to Watch FREE LIVE IPL Cricket OnlineFoxtel in AustraliaIn you are living in Australia and want an online feed, you need to have a Foxtel subscription. It offers a two-week free trial period to check the services and can be cancelled if you do not like it. Alternatively, you can choose to stream the games via YuppTV in Australia. GEO Super in PakistanIn Pakistan, you can watch IPL matches online with GEO Super broadcast. It provides access to live matches online from anywhere. Channel 9 in BangladeshChannel 9 is the official broadcaster of IPL matches in Bangladesh and if you want to view the matches, Channel 9 will be making it available online. Super Sport in South Africa & Sub-Saharan AfricaIn South Africa and the sub-Saharan region, SuperSport owns the rights for broadcasting IPL matches online. You can catch the matches live online if you are subscribed to their TV channels. YuppTV in Southeast Asia, South America & EuropeIn Singapore, Malaysia and other southeast Asian countries, YuppTV has the official rights to stream IPL matches online. It also provides services to many countries of Europe and South America. Sky Sports in New ZealandSky Sports is the official broadcaster of IPL matches in New Zealand and if you are looking for online services, a Sky Sports subscription can easily provide access to all the matches. Flow Sports in CaribbeanIn the Caribbean islands of Barbados, Antigua, Cayman, Dominica, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Curacao, Jamaica, Grenada, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Trinidad & Tobago, Saint Lucia and the others, Flow Sport will be streaming the matches online. How to watch IPL online through VPN connectionA VPN connection can also take care of your problems to a large extent. If you are trying to watch the IPL online, it might be a reliable and effective method. In order to do this, you need to sign up with a VPN service provider that has VPN servers in India. The VPN app can be downloaded and installed easily to your personal computer, Android phone, iPad or Mac devices. After completing the system set up, you have to connect to an Indian VPN server which will provide access to an Indian IP address. Once you have completed this step, go to the Hotstar website and launch the app. This will help you to watch any IPL match live on your chosen device. If you wish to access other Indian channels such as Star Sports, SonyLiv or Voot outside India, follow the same process and choose your preferred channel. VPNs are particularly useful when the local network blocks any online content or apps from a certain destination. As a result, IPL matches will only be available when you log into an Indian IP address. VPNs basically work by assigning users new IP addresses based on the server location selected by the user. But, watch out for home networks that detect VPNs and block them. To steer clear of this problem, choose VPNs that are reliable as it protects your online privacy and provides a secure connection. Some of the top VPN service providers that have been found to be reliable offer great high-speed connectivity and a free trial period where you can check out its services. Most of them comes with a money back guarantee which ensures peace of mind and allows you to stop the service any time during the free trial period, without having to shell out a penny as cancellation charges. The VPNs provide access to high-speed servers, employs excellent encryption methods and are equipped with advanced security features. NordVPN for example, is a good service provider which has access to 15 servers in India and the SmartPlay mode will automatically select the best server to stream an IPL match online. To protect devices from malware and suspicious activity, it follows advanced security protocols and it does not keep user logs. Besides, it has access to over 5,000 servers around the world and helps you to unblock video streaming services such as Netflix also. ExpressVPN is another service that ensures the best connection speeds. It is one of the top choices for streaming around the world and has access to over 1500 servers in 94 countries. The best part of this service is that it not only allows you to watch the IPL matches online but it also unblocks popular streaming channels such as Hulu, Netflix, BBC and many more similar services. It allows users to connect 3 devices at the same time and is equipped with advanced security features. ExpressVPN supports P2P and torrenting activity also and does not limit downloads or restrict bandwidth limits. This service comes with a 30 day money back guarantee and its excellent customer support system allows you to stream your favorite channels without any hassle. If you are looking for budget friendly options, CyberGhost can be a good one. It offers amazing discounts on long term plans and has 20 servers in India. It also has 3,000 servers across different countries including US, UK and Australia. The user interface is quite simple and if you are new to the VPN business, it is the ideal place to start with. It can automatically block malwares, suspicious websites and ads and block trackers that prohibit VPN usage. The company offers a 45 day money back guarantee, which is the longest offered by any premium VPN company. The IPL may just be the right opportunity to try a VPN service provider. If you are having difficulty choosing one, there’s not much to think about. Try the service during the trial period and go ahead if you like it. However, if you need some more time, there is nothing to worry about. All the premium VPNs have money back policies and you are securely covered for a month. If you are an Indian expat who is craving sports and entertainment content from the sub-continent, you can easily watch content from anywhere around the world with a secure VPN connection. Now, watching the IPL is no longer going to be a trouble. Just make sure that you do not fall for suspicious or pirated VPNs which might pose a security risk. |
