MONDAY IPL: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews Monday’s IPL Game 31 between Kolkata Knight Riders v Royal Challengers Bangalore with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
MATCH OVERVIEW:
It’s Day 2 at the second half of the IPL in the UAE and the tournament moves to Abu Dhabi on Monday as Kolkata Knight Riders take on Royal Challengers Bangalore. The Kolkata Knight Riders are one of the sides hoping for a change in fortune having ended up in second last while playing the opening half of the tournament in India. I doubt any team was happy the tournament was postponed, but perhaps it gives sides like KKR a change to regroup and reflect on where it went wrong. I’m interested to see how they perform here.
Unlike a few years ago, the Royal Challengers Bangalore were performing well again in the IPL. I really believe now that their home ground is a big negative against them – they played very well when the tournament was here last year, and then they started the 2021 tournament in good form too without playing a home game because of Covid19. They have a squad where conditions should really suit the UAE, and they should make the Playoffs again. Virat Kohli announced in the build-up to the tournament that he will be stepping down as T20 captain of the Indian team after the World Cup; but I doubt he has any plans to change things at RCB.
While a number of England players have opted out of the IPL in the UAE, KKR will be delighted to still have the services of Eoin Morgan. He is such an important part of their side, as a middle order batsmen and captain. They desperately need him arrive in-form though, and he did start The Hundred poorly. For RCB, they will need Kohli, Maxwell and de Villiers to lead the way as usual.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
This is the first match in Abu Dhabi so we will know more about what type of conditions to expect after this game. In general, it was a reasonably low scoring ground in the past – however batting conditions were good for the most part when they hosted the IPL here last year. The average score batting first was 163. That was the lowest average score of the three grounds, and while we saw scores in the 190’s a few times we never got over 200. I wouldn’t go into the game expecting massive runs but it seems around 165 is the true par score here.
RECOMMENDED BET:
This is an important game for both sides. KKR need a win to get away from the bottom of the table and hopefully start a run that gets them into the Playoffs and RCB are a confidence side – they will be looking to kick off the second half of the tournament in style. I have to say looking at the two sides, I much prefer RCB. I know they rely a lot on Kohli, Maxwell and de Villiers, but they look a much better option than relying on the likes of Andre Russell or Sunil Narine coming off – which doesn’t happen as often as de Villiers. RCB are worth a small bet in my view; once again I’m happy to keep stakes small in the opening games.
The Edge Says:
One point win Royal Challengers Bangalore to beat Kolkata Knight Riders at 1.78 with BETDAQ Betting Exchange
View the market here -> https://bit.ly/BDQKolRcb
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
As this is the first game in Abu Dhabi, if you’re trading in-running on BETDAQ Betting Exchange I would still recommend small stakes until we get a proper feel for the second half of the tournament. Let’s see what conditions are like and what certain players look like before getting heavily involved. Devdutt Padikkal was actually top scorer for RCB in India so just because he isn’t a big name don’t ignore him – RCB are definitely worth a trade if batting first. It was reasonably tricky to chase here at the start of the tournament last year, but then a lot of teams chased towards the end. Batting first might be a slight edge here.
