INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings – the game marks the start of the 2020 IPL and his preview includes 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.
MATCH OVERVIEW:
After a long wait this year, the 2020 Indian Premier League finally gets underway on Saturday. The fantastic news is all sports are 0% Commission on BETDAQ today so we start the tournament with extra value on offer! There’s no doubt we’ll have a different dynamic this year with the whole tournament moving to the UAE, however we’ve been here before. We’ve seen IPL’s in South Africa and also part of the tournament in the UAE. It’s a different setting compared to usual of course without the passionate fans, but we still have the worlds team players on show and some top quality cricket.
Mumbai v CSK has been the curtain raiser plenty of times before, and we’re sure to have an excellent match. Mumbai have confirmed this week that Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Knock will continue to open. They have Chris Lynn in the squad this year but he had a very tough time playing spin in the CPL, but they have lost Lasith Malinga which is a big blow.
Mumbai will always be bang there towards the end of the tournament with their experience, but their bowling attack this season have questions to answer. On paper they look very good, but Boult and McClenaghan can also go for big runs. CSK have kept more or less the same faces. Dhoni will lead the likes of Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Thair, Ravindra Jadeja and Shane Watson. I would suggest that Dhoni is probably the weak link in the batting given his age and lack of match practice. It will be fascinating to see do they drop him at any stage considering he is captain!
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
All eyes will be on conditions at Sheikh Zayad Stadium in Abu Dhabi in the opening overs to get an idea of what batting conditions will be like. For the moment, we are in the dark because we haven’t seen much cricket recently and we have little IPL history to go off too. For what it’s worth, Ricky Ponting who is couching Delhi said that he’s expecting the wickets to “offer a bit more bounce at the start of the tournament, before getting slower as they tournament goes on.”
I would expect him to be more or less correct. We’re playing the whole tournament at three venues so you would expect the pitches to get slower and lower as they get more used. The good news is we are set fair with the weather. Also for what it’s worth, CSK average score batting first in 2019 was 156, while Mumbai Indians average score was 165. That can be taken with a pitch of salt though we the change in venue and conditions.
RECOMMENDED BET:
As it’s the first game, it seems reasonable to keep stakes low until we see conditions and how teams have been shaping up. CSK have had issues in the camp with Covid19 and they lost Suresh Raina for family reasons after he travelled to the UAE. That being said, they have an pretty solid squad and seem to have bowlers and batters suited to most conditions. It’s the IPL of course, so Mumbai have a very strong squad too. On paper, I slightly favour the CSK bowling so I’m happy to have a small bet on CSK as outsiders at 2.18. I expect a very close game and CSK look the value call.
The Edge Says:
One point win Chennai Super Kings to beat Mumbai Indians at 2.18 with BETDAQ Exchange.
View the market here -> http://bit.ly/BDQMumChe
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
The first part of any in-running strategy has to be to check out conditions. This is the first game in Aub Dhabi and we’ll have to build up an idea of conditions as the tournament goes on. As we saw in the CPL, knowing what to expect with conditions can be very profitable.
For the opening game, I would have my doubts about the Mumbai Indians bowling line-up. Losing Malinga will leave a big gap, but the CSK batting haven’t had much time in the middle (like many players!) so neither side might be firing at 100% today. Personally I would look towards players who have played in the CPL and played very well – as they have had match experience under pressure and arrive here in good form. For Mumbai Indians, Pollard hit some big sixes in the CPL and he can move the market – he might be worth a trade today. I would also opening a trade on CSK when Dwayne Bravo is batting, or bowling.
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