IPL GAME 8: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews Friday’s game 8 in the IPL between Punjab Kings v Chennai Super Kings with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
MATCH OVERVIEW:
We’re back in Mumbai on Friday for an intriguing affair in the Indian Premier League. The Punjab Kings take on the Chennai Super Kings in what should be another run-filled affair at this venue. So far batting conditions have been very good in Mumbai, and it’s hard to see that changing. It will be fascinating to see how CSK cope with the conditions – they have a lot of talented batsmen in their squad, but they have been lacking in the firepower department lately – a lot of their losses last season were down to batting too slow.
The way Delhi Capitals brushed them aside in their opening game would suggest they batted too slow again, and they just don’t have the bowlers to back up the captain anymore. They might have been more suited to playing in Chennai, but here we are. Speaking of their captain, he needs to score some runs soon. Dhoni comes into the tournament with a lot of question marks about his retirement and those calls will only grow louder if he continues not to score runs. The question is; has he got it in him?
Punjab got off to a winning game in a huge scoring game here and they should bat first if they get the chance again. That being said, they scored 221 and still only won by four runs! They can definitely improve their bowling, but there isn’t much wrong with that batting line-up. Their top order is very impressive, and Chris Gayle really turned things around for them when he came in during the season in the UAE. We should have a great game with lots of talking points.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
As I said above, Mumbai has been excellent for batting thus far and it’s hard to see that changing. You’d probably say both sides have reasonably weak, or at least not strong, bowling line-ups so that can only help the batters too. I wouldn’t have a major preference what I would do at the toss, but I’d probably bowl first. I know you’ll be under pressure chasing a big score but with Punjab only winning by four runs after scoring 221, I feel there are more ways to win the game batting second.
RECOMMENDED BET:
I’m not surprised to see a reasonably even market on BETDAQ Betting Exchange, but I do like Punjab here at the prices. CSK have a brilliant history in the IPL, but for me they look like a poor team at the moment. They were very poor in the UAE and although Raina has obviously improved their middle order, they still have a huge amount of issues. They have a captain out of form and a bowling line-up who can’t stop runs flowing. That’s a major issue on this ground and with Punjab batters in excellent form I can only see one winner here.
The Edge Says:
Three points win Punjab Kings to beat Chennai Super Kings at 1.9 on BETDAQ Betting Exchange
View the market here -> http://bit.ly/BDQPjkCsk
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
As we grow into the tournament, more in-running angles come into play. Trading the games should be slightly easier given we know what conditions to expect. There are a couple of angles I like here and hopefully they develop in-running. I’m keen to get against MS Dhoni as I think the market still overrates his wicket – he hasn’t won a game in a long time and although the market is still slightly scared of his big sixes, they are too few and far behind these days to have a real impact.
I’m also keen to get against the CSK bowling, especially with the Punjab top order in excellent form and I can see Punjab going well whether they bat first or second. Given how good the wicket has been here, I would spend most of the game focusing on the batting side for trades as you will have the market working with you rather than against you. We should have another high scoring game!
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