THE EDGE: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews Friday’s IPL opener between Gujarat Titans v Chennai Super Kings with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
MATCH OVERVIEW:
The highlight of the year for many, the elephant in the room for International cricket, the IPL arrives on Friday on BETDAQ Betting Exchange! We could have a month long debate about the pros and cons of the IPL, but the reality is most International boards now leave a two month window in the schedule for the world’s top players to play in India. The money on offer is just too big to stop them to be honest. A classic example is Ben Stokes, England Test captain, playing as a “specialist batter” under injections to “manage” his knee injury. England have a home Ashes summer, and Stokes clearly isn’t 100% but has decided to play IPL.
When the IPL was first formed, it was billed as a mix of Bollywood and cricket. It has hit the mark is everything, and is now a TV rights monster – it isn’t going away any time soon, and if anything it will get bigger. The franchises have many so much money they now have franchise leagues in the UAE, South Africa and this summer America. We kick off the tournament with the Gujarat Titans taking on old favourites Chennai Super Kings. This should be a cracking way to start the tournament, and all eyes will be on MS Dhoni as he begins another IPL – still no talk of retirement!
Good bowling always wins out in most franchise leagues, and that is no different in the IPL. Gujarat Titans had exceptional bowling last season, and that lead them to the title. They have added Josh Little from Ireland to their squad this season, another classic example of how big the IPL is because he opted out of Ireland games leading into the tournament after he secured what will be a life changing contract. CSK weren’t at their best last season, indeed they had a terrible season, but they are never far away for long and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them bounce back.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
We kick off the tournament at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad. It will be very interesting to see what kind of conditions we get here. We’ve had a range of scores and wickets since the stadium was completed. We have had wickets with massive spin and absolute roads. You’d have to lean towards a good wicket for the batters in the IPL; the fans want big scores and sixes after all. I would definitely go into the first game with an open mind however, but I would lean towards a high scoring game. Just confirm conditions early.
RECOMMENDED BET:
CSK were terrible at the IPL last season, so I am surprised to see Gujarat only trading 1.85. I thought they would be shorter. They had the best bowling in the tournament last season and that should continue here – their economy was only 6.9 last season, which is very good in a T20 league. Stokes confirming he is playing as a batter is a massive plus for CSK, but their squad looks a little light compared to years gone by. Dhoni remains captain, and he’ll have to start fast given he doesn’t play as much cricket these days. Jadeja and Moeen Ali will have to have very good tournaments for them to do well – I can’t see past Gujarat here to start the tournament with a win.
The Edge Says:
Three points win Gujarat Titans to beat Chennai Super Kings at 1.85 with Betdaq Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/GujChe
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
It’s the first game of a two month tournament, so the best in-running advice here is don’t get carried away. It’s a long tournament, and it can easily fry your head. It’s important to pick your moments, and remember there is always another opportunity around the corner – don’t rush into positions when you aren’t 100% that you have an edge. For this game, let’s wait and see what conditions come but I would expect very good scoring and if that happens, I would focus solely on looking for trades on the batting side. Gujarat have such good bowling, the biggest edge here might be supporting Gujarat when they are batting if the wicket is high scoring. A long tournament awaits, with plenty of clear edges, there’s no point chasing an early strategy if there isn’t a clear in-running edge. As the tournament goes on, it will be obvious batting or bowling first at certain grounds will give you a big edge – those are the trades to focus on.
