INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals v Kolkata Knight Riders on day 15 of the IPL. The previews include a recommended BETDAQ bet.
The Edge has been a professional cricket trader for over 12 years, and we are delighted to have his columns on BETDAQ Tips. He provides his best bets on a points scale between 1 and 5, with 5 being a rare max bet.
Because we see so much action in-running on cricket, he will also provide some in-running strategies that could develop in-play and lead to some excellent value bets. The Edge covers all forms of cricket: Test Matches, ODI’s and T20’s but his favourite competition is the Indian Premier League each season.
Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals
MATCH OVERVIEW:
It’s the first double header of the Indian Premier League on Saturday and we should have an excellent day ahead! You’re going to get extra value on BETDAQ today as all cricket bets are 0% commission too! We start at the earlier time of 11am in the UK as RCB take on Rajasthan Royals. Both these sides have two wins from three games, with RCB coming out on top in a Super Over against Mumbai Indians recently.
I have to say I’m fascinated to see how the players will handle the heat in the day time fixtures. This is the first day time fixture with temperatures expected to be in or around 35 degrees. I suppose it won’t be the worst some of the players have faced as they play test cricket in the Sri Lankan summer for example, but we might see a few bowlers run out of steam towards the end of their overs. No extra deliveries will be key.
Rajasthan were very poor against KKR in Dubai recently after winning two high scoring games in Sharjah. They will face another tricky pitch at Abu Dhabi and they noted after losing to KRR that their players were still in Sharjah mode. Another performance like that just won’t cut it. With RCB we know what to expect by now; their stars have to fire otherwise it’s game over for them!
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
The good news is we’re set fair with the weather. The slightly bad news is it’s going to be hard to fully commit to an opinion on what is a good score in the day time here. So far we have had five games here with the first inning scores: 162/9 (chased), 195/5 (won by 49 runs), 142/4 (chased), 162/4 (won by 15 runs) and 191/4 (won by 48 runs). I would suggest the team batting first should be targeting 165, there won’t be dew given the time of the game and that should make batting a little tougher. The bowlers will certainly have more control – perhaps the plan should be pace off the ball and cutters etc.
RECOMMENDED BET:
I expect a very close game here, with both sides having star batsmen but also very flawed at times. The middle order of Rajasthan doesn’t look reliable at all, while you can say the same after the RCB lower order – they are in trouble if Finch, Kohli or de Villiers don’t fire. The market pretty much agrees that it will be a close game, with both sides reasonably close. I think the value is with Rajasthan however, as RCB are too short at 1.89. Rajasthan have had their poor performance outside Sharjah and they can adjust to playing conditions here and learn from that. I also think they have slight better bowling, and that’s what can win the game.
The Edge Says:
Two points win Rajasthan Royals to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore at 2.1 with BETDAQ Exchange.
View the market here -> http://bit.ly/BDQRcbRaj
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
Even though we have had five games here, this is a different starting time and that should translate to different conditions. We certainly won’t see any dew given it’s a day game, and if we do it will come very, very late in the game. I would expect the pitch to be a little slower, and it might be tricky to chase. The best option would be the bat first in my opinion, and I wouldn’t mind opening a trade on the team batting first.
Both sides have their flaws as I noted above, and I’d want to be against the RCB lower order after AB De Villiers goes and I’d also want to be against the Rajasthan middle order as on paper they don’t look that strong. I wouldn’t place too much confidence in the RCB bowling attack though – they have shown the times already in this tournament that they can go around the park.
Delhi Capitals v Kolkata Knight Riders
MATCH OVERVIEW:
We move to Sharjah for the second Indian Premier League game on Saturday as it’s out first double header! We also get to enjoy 0% Commission for this game on BETDAQ! We have had some incredible games at Sharjah so far with both games seeing over 400 runs. Rajasthan actually chased down 223/2 in 19.3 overs here last Sunday, so what score should the team batting first be aiming for!
It’s fair to say that Sharjah is an exceptionally high scoring ground with small boundaries – these scores of over 200 weren’t unexpected at the start of the tournament, and we can expect another high scoring game today. These high scoring games are often very close as it really depends on who the momentum goes with and who gets the breaks. RCB have suffered in the past because of a high scoring home ground, and it’s not a surprise to see very little in the betting between the sides.
Both sides have had two wins from three games, and neither have had experience of conditions in Sharjah yet. It’s difficult to say conditions would suit either side more than the other because they both have some top quality batsmen. You can see the likes of Eoin Morgan or Shikhar Dhawan doing some serious damage here!
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
In the two games we’ve had here, the first inning scores were 216/7 (won by 16 runs) and 223/2 (chased). You have to say that 200+ is definitely needed batting first, and while 223/2 was chased here last time out, the chasing team always looked beaten until right at the death. Despite the relatively easy batting conditions, it’s always tricky to chase such big scores and you need a slice of luck or massive skill on your side. I would still favour batting first and scoring big rather than knowing you’re going to have to chase 200. Thankfully the weather is set fair.
RECOMMENDED BET:
There’s a lot of talent in the Delhi Capitals side and I’m sure this game will be close, but I have to side with KKR here at 2.1. I just feel that their bowling is a little bit better than Delhi and that will make the difference. In what is going to be a very high scoring game, one excellent spell can knock 10 runs off the target and that can be the winning or losing of the game. I’d like to see KKR bat first and put the pressure on Delhi with their bowlers in the second innings.
The Edge Says:
Two points win Kolkata Knight Riders to beat Delhi Capitals at 2.1 with BETDAQ Exchange.
View the market here -> http://bit.ly/BDQDelKkr
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
The in-play strategy at Sharjah is to focus for trades on the batting team. I wouldn’t want to be on the bowling team for long with boundaries this size, a six could come from anywhere and cost you any number of ticks. As noted above, I would be keen to get on the team batting first because it’s highly likely they will post a big score – I wouldn’t hang onto the trade into the second innings after seeing what Rajasthan did to Kings XI Punjab, but the team batting first can certainly trade short. I would keep it straightforward in this game and stick to looking for trades on the batting team giving the ground history!
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