IPL GAME 18: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews Saturday’s game 18 in the IPL between Rajasthan Royals v Kolkata Knight Riders with a recommended BETDAQ bet.

MATCH OVERVIEW:

We’re back in Mumbai on Saturday for a huge IPL game between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders. The tournament hasn’t gone to plan for either side so far and they both are in desperate need of a win – don’t forget all cricket bets are 0% Commission on BETDAQ Betting Exchange today too so hopefully we have an excellent game for trading. There’s a bit of a gap forming between the top four and the bottom four at the moment, and you have to imagine the losers here will be in a tough spot so early in the tournament.

I know it’s very early days in the tournament, but when you look at the type of cricket Hyderabad, Punjab, KKR and Rajasthan have played compared to the top four you can see there is a bit of a gap in quality there. I feel if anyone is going to bridge that gap it’s Hyderabad and KKR, with Punjab and Rajasthan possibly being the weakest sides because of their bowling.

Rajasthan have been unlucky because they have lost Archer and Stokes – Archer is one of the best bowlers around and to lose him in the build-up was a big blow. But losing Stokes with a broken hand was an even bigger blow because of his batting and bowling. Their bowling simply isn’t good enough now, and RCB didn’t even lose a wicket in their 177 chase on Thursday. KKR may have their own issues, but you feel they should win this game – indeed if they want to get back into the mix; they have to.

WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:

We have gone right back to the high scoring conditions in Mumbai and while we can go into this game expecting more good batting conditions, always keep an open mind because we can change wicket and have a completely different game! KKR and Rajasthan have been involved in the last two games here, with KKR conceding 220/3 to CSK and Rajasthan losing to RCB with RCB not losing a wicket chasing 177/9. KKR still managed to score over 200 in their chase and you’d have to suggest par was over 200 in the last two games. Par can’t be over 200 in every game, but you definitely want to be aiming for it when batting first. CSK did a very good job here against KKR, but I still feel I would bowl first as it offers more options to win the game.

RECOMMENDED BET:

Although both sides have only managed one win in four games until now, I feel KKR are a much better side than Rajasthan. In my opinion without Ben Stokes, Rajasthan have become one of the worst teams in the competition and that is due to their poor bowling. There’s so much batting talent in these franchise T20 leagues, to be successful you need good bowling. I know KKR have their own bowling issues too, but unless Joe Buttler fires then it’s hard to see Rajasthan winning. KKR have a lot of batting firepower and on a good wicket they can over power Rajasthan.

The Edge Says:
Three points win Kolkata Knight Riders to beat Rajasthan Royals at 1.75 with BETDAQ Betting Exchange

View the market here -> http://bit.ly/BDQRajKol

IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:

Once again the in-running strategy should focus on betting conditions here. With both sides lacking a cutting edge with the ball, I would focus all my trades on the batting side. However, I feel a lot more comfortable trading on KKR here than Rajasthan. I’m not a huge fan of this Rajasthan batting if Joe Buttler doesn’t fire, and they would have to offer some serious value in the market to get me to change my mind. That being said, KKR have leaked runs and there’s nothing wrong with looking for a few trades on Rajasthan if they get going with the bat.

I’d expect the bat to dominate the ball here and we should have another very high scoring game. Despite a possible big score in the first innings, I still feel a trade on the chasing team will go well here. KKR might have lost to CSK but they still scored over 200 in the chase. Andre Russell looked in excellent tough and we were a little unlucky not to land the KKR Top Batsmen bet in the last game – he can go well again here, and Eoin Morgan really needs to score some runs soon.