THURSDAY IPL: The Edge previews Gujarat Titans v Royal Challengers Bengaluru with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
Gujarat Titans v Royal Challengers Bengaluru
MATCH OVERVIEW:
The IPL rolls on as Gujarat Titans host Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Ahmedabad on Thursday on Betdaq Betting Exchange ! This is a cracking fixture between two sides who arrive in superb form and are both firmly in the hunt for a playoff spot. Gujarat Titans have been solid with four wins from eight games, while RCB have six wins from eight and are arguably the form team in the IPL right now. The defending champions just demolished Delhi Capitals on Monday in one of the most one-sided performances you’ll see in the IPL.
Josh Hazlewood took 4/12 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar grabbed 5/3 as Delhi were skittled for a barely believable 75 all out. Delhi even set the unwanted record of the lowest powerplay total in IPL history in the process. RCB knocked off the target in just seven overs. In an IPL where 200+ scores have become commonplace, it was a cracking bowling performance. RCB tick practically every box at the moment; Punjab Kings have also looked superb and you’d have to say if you were picking the top two sides this season – it would be RCB and Punjab at the moment. After waiting so long for a title, RCB might be able to defend it!
This fixture is a little unusual for IPL because they met last week – they played at the Chinnaswamy on Friday so there’s not even seven days between the games. Sudharsan crunched a century for Gujarat batting first, but RCB chased down 205/3 with seven balls to spare. This should be another competitive game.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
We should have another high scoring game here. Ahmedabad is the largest cricket ground in the world, holding a staggering 132,000 spectators. It is also one of the best batting venues in the IPL. The pitch is a true, flat batting surface that offers good bounce. We’ve only really seen a spinning wicket here in Test cricket; obviously that’s prepared the way India like it. In T20, it’s generally been a run-fest. The first scores here this season have been 210/6 (won), 180 all out (chased) and 199/5 (won). In good conditions, 200 is very much the par score and teams will be targeting that or beyond. India is in the grip of a heatwave right now, and dew will absolutely be a big factor. I wouldn’t say batting first or second offers a massive edge either way, but I’d suggest the winning captain at the toss will bowl as that seems to be the theme these days.
RECOMMENDED BET:
RCB come into the game as the 1.71 favourites and that’s not a surprise. Defending Champions and playing fantastic cricket – just produced arguably the best bowling performance of the IPL season in demolishing Delhi, Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar are both firing at the top of their games, and the RCB batting is anchored by Kohli who is also in superb form. As I said above, they tick a lot of boxes and it’s actually hard to see past them. However, Gujarat have so much talent in their XI you have to wonder is the gap too big in the market here. There’s so many good quality batters and bowlers in the Gujarat side that can turn a game – I’m going to have a small bet from a value point of view here on the outsiders. I just see it being closer than the odds suggest.
The Edge Says:
One point win Gujarat Titans to beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru at 2.26 with Betdaq Betting Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/IPGuRo
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
Ahmedabad is a batter’s venue, and although we’ve had some big margin wins here, you generally want to support the batters. I’d be keen to support whoever bats first to post 200+, and then consider switching at the innings break to the chasing side. If Gujarat bat first and post a big total, I’d still be very keen to support the RCB batters in the chase given how their top order is performing for example. Given the batting friendly conditions, I wouldn’t want to be on the bowlers for long at this venue.
