With more teams and more games for the 2022 season, the Indian Premier League is bigger than ever before - and that means more live action for armchair cricket fans in the US thanks to ESPN Plus.
The sports streaming service will be showing every match of the new IPL campaign live, making it a must-have subscription for any self-respecting cricket fan in the States - read on as we give you the lowdown on ESPN Plus and what you'll need to pay to watch the 2022 IPL.
- ESPN Plus: see the best deals and sign up on its website (opens in new tab)
The 2022 season sees Chennai Super Kings looking to defend their title, with the league bolstered by the addition new franchises the Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, meaning the league will last 65 days with 70 regular season games plus the play offs - with ESPN Plus's IPL coverage set to show the lot live.
As ever, the game's biggest international names like David Warner and Jos Buttler will be taking to the crease alongside Indian stars such as Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.
While it should be noted that dedicated cricket streaming service Willow TV will also be offering US viewers live coverage of IPL games, as we explain below ESPN Plus with its comprehensive coverage, cheaper price and broad range of other top-tier sports action will likely offer the best best for most sports fans.
So read on to find out the latest info on what ESPN Plus coverage gives you, as well as the most cost-effective ways to subscribe to the service and whether your streaming devices are compatible.
IPL cricket on ESPN Plus: what can I watch?
With Disney having phased out its Hotstar US service, the media giant has folded its programming into its other streaming platforms like Hulu, with its IPL coverage now finding a home on ESPN Plus.
ESPN Plus will be showing all 70 regular matches from the IPL 2022 season live as well as the four play-off matches.
Coverage includes pre- and post-games shows, along with on demand match highlights, while all matches will be available to stream with the option of English or Hindi commentary.
The service also boasts access to a vast on-demand archive of highlights and full games from previous IPL seasons, as well as a wealth of original content and documentaries based around the IPL and cricket, including the 14-part series IPL Superstars and The Little Master a feature length documentary on cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.
How much does it cost to watch IPL cricket on ESPN Plus?
Despite offering all that live cricket action, a subscription to ESPN Plus won't cost you a fortune, with a subscription currently costing a reasonable $6.99 a month or $69.99 for a whole year of access (opens in new tab).
A massive saving can be made, however, when taking advantage of a bundle offering that includes ESPN Plus. As the sports network is jointly owned by Disney, there's a bargain to be had by opting for a package that gets you Disney Plus and Hulu as well as ESPN Plus, for the super-cheap monthly fee of just $13.99. You can sign up for the package by checking out Disney Plus's website here (opens in new tab).
Subscribers to the Disney Plus bundle means that as well as getting all the IPL and sports content provided by ESPN Plus, you'll also unlock the doors to a mammoth library of family entertainment including Classic Disney Animations, Pixar movies, and documentaries from National Geographic.
You'll also get access to hotly anticipated new shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Moon Knight with the entire Marvel and Star Wars film and show library available via Disney Plus. If that wasn't enough, the deal also give you access to Hulu's massive library of movies, TV shows and exclusive originals.
You'd be looking at a fee of $18.97 a month, or $24.97 if you opted to subscribe to Hulu without ads, if you signed up for all three services on their own, making the $13.99 Disney Plus bundle price just about the best streaming service deal there currently out there.
What other sport content can I watch on ESPN Plus?
If you're a big cricket fan, ESPN Plus' IPL coverage will probably keep you occupied over the coming weeks, but if you're a sports fan generally, there's even more top tier sports content available at your disposal.
For fight fans, one of the service's biggest draws for subscription is it's exclusive coverage of UFC live streams, with the platform having the rights to live stream all of the MMA promotion's events in the US. That includes every Fight Night and numbered PPV event which are now shown on ESPN Plus (although the latter still requires viewers to pay a PPV fee for access).
The service also offers game-changing coverage of golf, with live coverage of 35 PGA Tour events in 2022, and four simultaneous live feeds being offered each day for those tournaments.
ESPN Plus subscribers also get exclusive streaming access to one NHL and MLB game per day during their respective regular seasons, as well as all out-of-market MLS matches plus a wealth of international and FA Cup soccer.
Finally a subscription also unlocks a vault of ESPN original sports programming including the entire 30 for 30 documentary library, as well as on demand access to a wide array of exclusive original programs including The Fantasy Show and award-winning sports analysis series Detail.
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What devices can I watch IPL cricket on ESPN Plus with?
One of the best things about ESPN Plus is its convenience - with the service offering wide-ranging support for a host of devices.
It couldn't be simpler to watch live broadcasts and on demand content on your phone or tablet - simply download the ESPN app from either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and sign up for the service there.
You also can watch ESPN Plus via your web browser on a PC or Mac by heading to the service's website (opens in new tab).
If you've a streaming box connected to your TV, it shouldn't come as any surprise that ESPN Plus is available on Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV , as well as the Roku platform.
ESPN Plus streams can also be accessed on a wide range of games consoles , with dedicated apps for the service available for the PS5 and Xbox Series S and Series X as well as older machines such as all Xbox One models and the PS4, (but not unfortunately the Nintendo Switch).
