MONDAY IPL: The Edge previews Punjab Kings v Delhi Capitals with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
Punjab Kings v Delhi Capitals
MATCH OVERVIEW:
The IPL rolls into another week and we kick it off with Punjab Kings hosting Delhi Capitals up in the beautiful surroundings of Dharamsala on Betdaq Betting Exchange ! Dharamsala is a bucket list venue for many cricket fans, and although Punjab Kings have moved to a different ground for most of their home games these games, it is good to see them back here. This is the first of four fixtures here; including a Qualifier in the playoffs. This is a game of contrasting fortunes – Punjab Kings have had a very strong IPL while Delhi Capitals are in a desperate situation. They have just eight points from eleven games, and after being dismantled by KKR at the Arun Jaitley on Thursday – bowled out for 142 and then watching Finn Allen smash a brutal century – their season is as good as over.
It feels like all it not well in the Delhi camp at the moment. We were on KKR going into that game last week – the captain got a lot of stick for the toss decision against CSK! Ricky Ponting has built something remarkable at Punjab, but they do come into this game off the back of three straight losses. Surely they will be viewing this one as a superb chance to stop the rot given the issues at Delhi. These two arguably gave us the game of the tournament so far earlier in the season – Delhi posted 264/2 – KL Rahul hit an astonishing 152 not out, the highest score by an Indian in IPL history – and Punjab chased it down to break their own world record for the highest successful run chase in IPL history.
Hopefully we see half as much drama here and we’re in for a treat. It’s fair to say that both sides are in desperate need of a win here. Punjab looked set for top spot early in the tournament and they are in danger of that slipping away – we all know how important it is to get into those top two spots. Delhi need a win for a morale point of view; their NRR of -1.154 is the worst in the competition and highlights have bad they’ve been.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
We are at one of the most iconic and beautiful cricket grounds in the world in Dharamsala, set against the backdrop of the Dhauladhar mountain range. The high altitude (1,457 metres above sea level) means the thin mountain air carries the ball further, which historically aids big hitting. However, we can get quite the green wickets here with plenty of seam movement. I wouldn’t just go into this game expecting a high score. The boundary dimensions are 69 metres straight and 59 metres square, and the quick outfield makes this a genuine six hitting paradise though – we had one IPL game here last season and the first inning score was 236/5. With this being the first game here this season, just go slowly to see what conditions are like.
RECOMMENDED BET:
On paper, you could call this a lopsided matchup. Punjab have played much better cricket compared to Delhi, and it’s no surprise they are the clear favourites. They are trading 1.66 which is on the short side for an IPL game where the sides are always packed with talent. The only negative from a Punjab point of view here is the three losses in a row; the problem has mainly been with their bowling to be honest. They failed to defend 222/4 against Rajasthan Royals and then conceded 235/4 against Sunrisers Hyderabad – they scored 200+ in reply but obviously they were up against it. Against an out of form Delhi batting line-up though; they will likely get away with the bowling issues, and we know how good their batting is. I’m happy to take the 1.66 against a poor Delhi side.
The Edge Says:
Two points win Punjab Kings to beat Delhi Capitals at 1.66 with Betdaq Betting Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/IPPuDe
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
With this being the first game of the season in Dharamsala, you’d have to go in with an open mind on in-running strategy. As I said above, we can get plenty of movement here for the pace bowlers – but generally conditions favour the batters. You’d have to watch the first few overs to see where we stand for this game. Given Punjab’s batting firepower and weakness of Delhi; you’d have to expect Punjab to do very well here when it comes to their time to bat. I wouldn’t be keen supporting their bowling after the last week or so, but I feel they’ll win this game with the bat and the best in-running angle is almost certainly to support Punjab’s batting in either innings.
