THE EDGE: The Edge previews the IPL clash between Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders
MATCH OVERVIEW:
A new week begins at the IPL on BETDAQ Betting Exchange, and we kick it off with Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders! Mumbai Indians have had a difficult start to the tournament this season; two losses from two games leaves them in a battle to avoid bottom spot rather than a playoff battle! We have seen these slow starts from Mumbai countless times before and they have come good in the past, but that didn’t happen last season as they finished bottom of the table. They were also bottom in 2022 too, so they’ve been going through a difficult time.
Their bowling was very loose in the beginning of the game at the weekend, and they never recovered despite the bowlers actually finishing off the innings well. They definitely need Rohit Sharma to come to the party at the top of the order, but on paper they are a lot weaker than previous seasons in my opinion. KKR are defending Champions, and I have to say I was surprised to see them come into this clash as the outsiders. Granted, there isn’t a massive amount between the sides in the betting. KKR got off to a slow start in the opening game, but they bounced back well with a much improved bowling performance in their second game.
You get the feeling that this is a massive game for Mumbai. The pressure is already on with back-to-back losses, and given they finished bottom last season too, a third loss would already have the dressing room on tender hooks. KKR need their star batters to show up though, in what should be a fascinating game.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
This is the first game of the season at the Wankhede. Usually we get a fantastic atmosphere here with a packed house. Last season we had a really low scoring game here in the opening game, then it turned into a high scoring venue. That was a Mumbai collapse though, and obviously they played quite poor cricket last season. We had scores of 234/5, 196/8 chased, 206/4 and 214/6 here last season. I’d keep an open mind because it’s the opening game, but we usually see runs here.
RECOMMENDED BET:
As I said above, I was surprised to see the Mumbai Indians as favourites here. That being said, they are one of the best supported and most hyped up IPL franchises so it shouldn’t really surprise! I like KKR here at 2.1 though; I know there isn’t much between the sides in the market, but I’d have KKR as marginal favourites in my opinion. You can pick holes in both sides, but KKR have the stronger batting, and their bowling impressed last time out too. They can get the job done here.
The Edge Says:
One point win Kolkata Knight Riders to beat Mumbai Indians at 2.1 with BETDAQ Betting Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/MumKlk
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
I would go into this game with a reasonably open mind on scoring and just confirm current conditions in the opening few overs given it’s the first game of the season here. That being said, it would be a surprise if we didn’t have good batting conditions. I can see both sides going well with the bat here though; however I’m more keen to take on the Mumbai Indians bowling compared to the KKR bowling. Additionally; I am keen to take on the Mumbai batting – the worry here though is we get superb batting conditions so let’s see what conditions we get – in my opinion though the Mumbai batting line-up looks quite weak this season.
