THE EDGE: The Edge previews the IPL clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Punjab Kings with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Punjab Kings
MATCH OVERVIEW:
We have a huge clash in the IPL on Betdaq Betting Exchange this Friday as Royal Challengers Bengaluru host Punjab Kings. As I said earlier in the week, after everyone played six games we definitely have a “top half” and a “bottom half” this season. We’re at the halfway mark of the tournament now, and the sides in the bottom half are definitely running out of time to break into the mix for the playoffs. RCB and Punjab Kings don’t have that problem though – they sit in the top half with four wins from six games – given they have the same record, this game is huge to try and secure one of those top two places.
RCB will need that cushion too; they have yet to win the tournament – as is always pointed out each passing season! They have a huge support base; India’s biggest player in Virat Kohli but they’ve always come up short. That has mainly been down to their poor home record, and their focus on their batting line-up rather than their bowling. The owners have changed their ways in the past two years though, and that seems to be working. The reality is at Bengaluru it’s so easy to bat – it was the highest scoring ground in the IPL for years – that nearly anyone could take the game away with an insane knock. The boundaries are small, the wicket is flat and the ball flies because the ground is above sea level. We all remember Chris Gayle here and AB de Villiers – but the RCB bowling always let them down.
RCB come up against another big scoring side here – Punjab Kings have been very good with the bat but they have struggled a little with the ball in hand. They scored 245/6 against Sunrisers Hyderabad only to see that chased down with nine balls to spare. I know Hyderabad has been high scoring, but you don’t see that often. They bounced back with a good win against KKR this week though; ironically their batting completely failed but the bowlers managed to defend 111!
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
The Chinnaswamy is always an excellent place for cricket. This will be the third game here, and the scores this season have been a lot lower than the past. RCB have batted first twice, and more-or-less failed to fire. Scores of 169/8 and 163/7 won’t cut it here, and they were both chased down easily. Obviously RCB’s home record has been an issue hanging over them. Usually this ground is a high scoring ground but the only thing to say is they did get new drainage work done, which has dried out the wicket.
RECOMMENDED BET:
We have an interesting market here. Both sides have the same record but I do feel that they have different profiles. The RCB batting has marginally been their weakness given their improved bowling. From a Punjab Kings point of view, it’s very clear their bowling has been below par. I know they bowled KKR out this week, but in the main they have leaked a tonne of runs. I’m going to keep stakes small here because obviously the RCB home record has to be a worry, however they are worth backing at 1.89 here for a small investment in my opinion.
The Edge Says: One point win Royal Challengers Bengaluru to beat Punjab Kings at 1.89 with Betdaq Exchange.
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/RylPun
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
Historically this has been an exceptionally high scoring venue, but that hasn’t been the case yet this season so I would go into this game with an open mind. It seems a little harder to bat first, and it always pays to keep an eye out for a heavy dew here which can make bowling next-to-impossible. I would give a little edge to the side who bowls first, but I would also give the first three overs of the game to confirm conditions.
