IPL GAMES 24 and 25: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews Thursday’s double header in the IPL with Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals v Kolkata Knight Riders both with a recommended BETDAQ bet.

Game 24 Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals

MATCH OVERVIEW:

We have another fantastic midweek double header at the Indian Premier League on Thursday! We start in Delhi as the Mumbai Indians take on the Rajasthan Royals. This will only be the second game in Delhi and as yesterday was a night game and today is a day game, so the teams will still be working out conditions. We could see some dramatic market movements on BETDAQ Betting Exchange today.

Mumbai Indians find themselves in the unusual position of mid-table having only won two games from their first five. They have been slow starters in the past, but they were so dominant in the IPL last season they barely left the top of the table. With so many teams around them in mid-table, a loss here could see them under pressure. They are already six points behind RCB who have started strongly and CSK look good too.

The good news for Mumbai fans is that Rajasthan have been poor this season. They have been hit by unfortunate injuries too with Archer and Stokes out. It’s clearly very difficult to cope with losing their talent, but they only have four overseas players now too and that’s just not good enough when you compare the talent on the other sides.

WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:

In the first game at Delhi yesterday I said we should keep an open mind on conditions given we have had a long gap between cricket here with Covid19 and the fact it’s hard to know what to expect. Even after seeing conditions yesterday, they could be very different here in a day game – we saw the changes in scoring at Chennai between night and day games so I feel the best advice is to just judge the wicket in the first three overs. As I said yesterday, the average score has been coming down in recent years – It was 184 in 2017, 178 in 2018 and then 156 in 2019.

RECOMMENDED BET:

Rajasthan bowled very well in their last game against KKR, but in general their bowling has let them down. Mumbai actually need a side who bowl poorly at the moment to get into form with the bat. They have definitely struggled in that department at the start of the tournament, perhaps caused by the tricky batting conditions in Chennai. I feel this is a game for small stakes given the issues Mumbai have at the moment, but they are a much better side than Rajasthan who look light in the batting department after Jos Buttler and also light in the bowling department. Mumbai are worth backing at 1.7.

The Edge Says:
One point win Mumbai Indians to beat Rajasthan Royals at 1.7 with BETDAQ Betting Exchange

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

IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:

Much like yesterday, the in-running strategy can’t be set in stone here with batting conditions very unknown. The one thing I would say is however, it gets very hot during the day in India at the moment and we have seen a lot of bowlers struggle in the final overs in day games already. The same could happen here, so perhaps target a trade on the batting team in the final five to three overs in the first innings – depending on how hot the weather is of course.

In terms of players, the Rajasthan middle order looks very light and I would be keen to take them on. The Mumbai middle order look out of form, but they scored a lot of runs in the last IPL. I would aim to take them on if batting conditions looked tricky, certainly if the wicket is slow and there’s a bit of spin, but beware that they can take the game away from you given their talent. While Rohit Sharma has scored runs at the top of the order, he has batted a little slowly and left his team under pressure so we could see quick wickets after he gets out too.

Game 25 Delhi Capitals v Kolkata Knight Riders

MATCH OVERVIEW:

Next we go back to Ahmedabad as the Delhi Capitals take on the Kolkata Knight Riders. We saw a final ball thriller here on Tuesday as Royal Challengers Bangalore beat the Delhi Capitals by one run! KKR had a very good performance here prior to that, so both teams will have a good understanding of conditions heading into this game. This is an important game for both sides looking at the table, and Delhi will definitely have one eye on the Mumbai game earlier in the day. Another loss for Mumbai would likely see a “big three” of RCB, CSK and Delhi – if they can win here.

I said prior to the Punjab Kings v KKR game that Eoin Morgan was under pressure. He would have been delighted with the game however, his bowlers performed well and he took his side home with the bat – it couldn’t have gone much better for the captain. They need him in good form however, as the middle order looks light when he gets out too soon and you can’t rely on Andre Russell to play a solid innings all the time – he’s very much a “go big or go home” batsman.

This will be a fascinating game, and it will be very interesting to see who comes out on top. Obviously Delhi are a very talented side, but their bowling isn’t of the same standard as last season – they have the talent, they just haven’t hit top form yet. Their top order need to score the runs, but the KKR bowling has left a lot to be desired at times so the top order could have a very good day. Once again, the pressure is on Morgan in that KKR middle order.

WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:

I know we have had a few games here, but I still feel the jury is very much out on conditions. RCB won off the final ball when defending 171/5 on Tuesday and we saw a masterclass from de Villiers in the first innings. Batting looked very tricky in the first game here when Punjab Kings could only score 123/9 against KKR. The biggest element is dew, and it has fallen towards the final five overs in the first innings. I would suggest the earlier the dew comes the bigger the score, and although Delhi lost on the final ball I would still favour the side chasing.

RECOMMENDED BET:

I fully respect the fact that Delhi Capitals are favourites, but I feel KKR are worth a small back at 2.1 here. I would have them a little short and Delhi just slightly odds on favourites. KKR bowled very well here, and if they can take early wickets they can crack open the soft middle order of Delhi. Morgan played very well here and knows conditions well after playing the India v England series here – hopefully he can go well again and guide his side home. It’s a game for small stakes, but KKR are a shade of value for me.

The Edge Says:
One point win Kolkata Knight Riders to beat Delhi Capitals at 2.1 with BETDAQ Betting Exchange

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

IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:

The biggest element of your in-running strategy at Ahmedabad should be focused around dew, when that falls and how much of it. Unfortunately this is something that you have to rely on the commentators for but they will definitely mention it. Also watch out for how many times the bowlers are using cloths and how many of them are they using. If that’s a lot the dew is obviously heavy, and bowling will be very difficult. It’s hard to read too much into an AB de Villiers innings because he’s so good but once again the runs came late here.

Even in the Punjab Kings innings when they scored a very low score, the sixes came late as the dew came in. It’s hard to know what a par score is given the dew, but as I said above I would favour the chasing team. I’d also be keen to be against the Delhi middle order if there was no dew, and the KKR mid-to-late order once Morgan is out. Beware of Andre Russell with the bat if there is dew – he could hit a lot of sixes!