The 2024 World Championship final now feels like a distant memory for all but the eventual champion, Kyren Wilson.
The 32-year-old scooped his maiden “biggun” inside Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre over the May Bank Holiday, and will have dreams of building on this success as he head into the 2024/25 season.
It all starts off with the crazy merry-go-round that is the Championship League.
Four stages will take place between Monday 10th June – Wednesday 3rd July, with 128 players slugging it out across 32 round-robin groups, before the group winners advance and form new groups in the latter stages.
Shaun Murphy won last year’s event after beating Mark Williams 3-0 in the final, landing the first ranking title of the season and the “Magician” returns to Leicester as an 11/1 joint-fourth-favourite to retain his crown.
But who will put a marker down at the start of this season? There are a number of big names missing due to an extended summer break including Mark Allen, Judd Trump, Luca Brecel, Mark Selby, and Ding Junhui, with the door opening for some of the lower ranked players.
Let’s take a look at some of the best Snooker Championship League tips, alongside the best snooker betting offers from the top online bookmakers.
Snooker Championship League Tip - Ronnie O’Sullivan
Ronnie will still be reeling from his shock defeat at the World Championship, as that elusive eighth crown continues to evade him.
Not that he will admit that as he gets his 33rd campaign up and running in a group of inexperienced players.
O’Sullivan will play Mitchell Mann, Kayden Brierley and He Guoqiang in an uninspiring Group 2, and will no doubt have his eyes set on winning this ranking event for the first time and adding to his trophy collection.
He is, of course, an 11/2 FAV, and the short format could suit him if he is in unforgiving form and eager to blow his opposition away.
Snooker Championship League Tip - Neil Robertson
After struggling so badly last season, Neil Robertson will be pleased to enter a new season as everyone’s favourite (only?) Australian snooker player looks to return to the top of the game.
The 42-year-old only reached one ranking semi-final last campaign and went on a run of five straight first-round exits in the opening five ranking competitions.
Now, down at No. 28 in the world, Robertson kicks off the Championship League in a group involving Zack Richardson, Jamie Clarke and Cheung Ka Wai and is a strong favourite to advance from this group unscathed.
He hasn’t had much success in this tournament but will use this year’s as a springboard into finding some form.
Snooker Championship League Tip - Kyren Wilson
Wilson enters his first season as the ‘hunted’ following his World Championship win back in May.
The “Warrior” won this tournament back at the start of the 2020/21 season and alongside his World Championship title makes up two of the four ranking events he has won before turning 33.
At 10/1 he’s a good price for the form player on the tour, but it’s a lottery how he will react after the highs of his fortnight in Sheffield.
Wilson plays Daniel Womersley, Scott Donaldson and Baipat Siripaporn (the 2023 women’s World Championship winner) from Thailand.
Snooker Championship League Tip - Jak Jones
Jak Jones was a sensation at the World Championship and the Welshman is now down to No. 14 in the world.
It’s quite remarkable that the “Silent Assassin” has saved his two best career performances for the Crucible, and he’ll be wanting to use some of that impressive matchplay form coming into the Championship League.
The 30-year-old was a master tactician in Sheffield back in April, but may find the shorter format here a big change from the Crucible marathons.
Top Snooker Betting Offers & Free Bets
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