THURSDAY IPL: The Edge previews Mumbai Indians v Punjab Kings with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
Mumbai Indians v Punjab Kings
MATCH OVERVIEW:
The IPL continues on Thursday and we’re back at the Wankhede as Mumbai Indians host Punjab Kings on Betdaq Betting Exchange . This is a cracking fixture, and the pressure is definitely on the home side after a poor start to the tournament. Mumbai have managed just one win from their opening four games; to make matters significantly worse, Rohit Sharma retired hurt in Sunday’s defeat to RCB with what appeared to be a hamstring problem; he is set to undergo scans and his availability for Thursday is very much in doubt. Mumbai have been inconsistent throughout – their batting has had its moments but the bowling has been exposed, and losing Rohit would be a hammer blow to a side that is already struggling.
Punjab Kings arrive at the Wankhede in superb form. They are unbeaten; the only thing stopping them from a 100% record was a washout. After Rajasthan lost on Monday, they are the only side to remain unbeaten in the tournament! What a side Ricky Ponting has built here. They chased down 219/6 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last game in quite breathtaking fashion. They are brimming with confidence right now and carry real belief that this is their year, having come agonisingly close last season only to lose the final to RCB.
Punjab obviously tick a lot of boxes, and they face a pretty average Mumbai side here. I have to say I was surprised to see the odds here when I clicked into the market – Mumbai are favourites! The contrast in form could hardly be starker. Obviously Mumbai are the bigger franchise, and sometimes that’s a factor in the IPL but Punjab look very strong. A fascinating game awaits.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
The Wankhede in Mumbai is one of the great IPL venues and one of the most batting-friendly grounds in the tournament. The boundaries are short – 67 metres and 61 metres square, the outfield is lightning fast. Being a bowler is hard work here; to be honest this IPL has been very high scoring thus far. We’ve had two very high scoring games here already – 220/4 (chased) and 240/4 (won). We’ve had four innings, each with over 200 overs scored! Mumbai produce significant dew as well in the evening, making life increasingly difficult for the bowlers.
RECOMMENDED BET:
As I said above, I was very surprised to see Mumbai as favourites here. I’d personally have Punjab as the favourites here so I firmly disagree with the market. They are flying while Mumbai are struggling, and now there is the Rohit Sharma injury cloud hanging over the home side too. Punjab look balanced in all departments; their opening pair is the most dangerous in the tournament, Shreyas Iyer is batting beautifully in the middle order, and their bowling has been impressive too. Albeit we’re going to have very good batting conditions here. I’d happy to have a confident bet on Punjab at 2.2 – that looks cracking value in my opinion.
The Edge Says:
Three points win Punjab Kings to beat Mumbai Indians at 2.2 with Betdaq Betting Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/IPMuPu
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
As I said above, the Wankhede is an exceptionally high scoring venue and it’s hard to see anything other than a high scoring game here to be honest. We’ve already seen 240 scored here this season – the ground plays very short and with the power hitting on display, 200-plus is very much on the cards. Given the Punjab batting and the fragile Mumbai bowling, if Punjab bat second here I’d be very happy to back them at the innings break against this attack if they are chasing 200+. This feels like a game where you wouldn’t want to be on the bowlers for long!
