INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews Mumbai Indians v Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab v Chennai Super Kings on day 16 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.
Mumbai Indians v Sunrisers Hyderabad
MATCH OVERVIEW:
It’s day two of the first weekend Double Header at the Indian Premier League on Sunday and we have two excellent games ahead. We start with Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Sharjah. So far we’ve had a massive amount of runs at Sharjah with the short boundaries obviously playing a massive part. This is the first day game here however, and that will rule out any dew. Things might get a little easier for the bowlers, but we can still expect reasonably high scores.
Both sides had big wins this week with Mumbai Indians beating Kings XI Punjab by 48 runs to move up to the top of the table heading into the first weekend double header, while Sunrisers Hyderabad won a crunch game against CSK on Friday. The loser would have started the weekend bottom, and the pressure is on CSK later on. We should have a high quality game here, but perhaps Mumbai are more suited to the conditions. They have a lot of big hitters and while Hyderabad have some classy players themselves – they are more traditional than power hitters. They will need a big innings from Bairstow.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
The weather has been fantastic in the UAE thus far, and we’re set fair again. Usually I’d be all over runs and a very high scoring game here, even 223/2 was chased down here. However, the day games are a little different – not a long but just enough to make you think twice before putting money down. Of course the boundaries will stay short, but we will lose the dew and that might make the pitch a little tougher to bat on. Let’s be honest though, it should still be an excellent wicket – but it’s worth assessing conditions in the opening three overs and perhaps bringing a par score down a little. Chasing might also be a little harder.
RECOMMENDED BET:
I like Mumbai for this one. I think they have the batters for the conditions expected and while Hyderabad have an excellent batting line-up too – apart from Bairstow they don’t have the same kind of gears that de Knock, Rohit Sharma, Polland and Pandya have – all excellent six hitters. Warner can produce a nice knock for Hyderabad, but this ground won’t be suited to their batting line-up who are more traditional players than power hitters. This ground is all about big runs and clearly the boundary.
The Edge Says:
Two points win Mumbai Indians to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad at 1.7 with BETDAQ Exchange.
View the market here -> http://bit.ly/BDQMumSun
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
I would take the early overs just to have a look at the conditions during the day in Sharjah. I don’t expect it to become tough for batting, but we could see the scores just reduce a little. I still think the same in-play tactics apply here; just perhaps a little edit. I wouldn’t want to be on the bowling team for long spells, and would focus solely on finding trades on the batting team, especially in the first innings.
With the lack of dew, I think we can reduce the score that the team chasing can achieve. We might see a struggle to chase 200+, perhaps like the first game here when CSK came up short chasing 217. The market might give a bit of value on the team trying to defend 190 for example, as with the lack of dew that can become a tricky chase, however it’s all dependant on conditions. We might have the exact same conditions as the night games, in which case you don’t want to be on a bowling team for long!
Kings XI Punjab v Chennai Super Kings
MATCH OVERVIEW:
We move back to Dubai for the final game this weekend as Kinga XI Punjab take on CSK. These two have only managed one win from four games, and they sit joint bottom on two points each. It’s early days, but this is a big game for both. The winner will probably forget about the bad start to the tournament as they are right back in the mix – the loser will have to regroup and feel like they are a bit detached from the others with only one win in five games.
Kings XI Punjab were totally outclassed by Mumbai in Abu Dhabi, and the move back to Dubai might suit them more. I feel they still have little and lower order issues – with their openers in great form. The problem is, when they get out who else gets the runs. They are relying on Maxwell and he doesn’t always fire. CSK have their own issues too, and although MS Dhoni tried his best to get them over the line against Hyderabad here on Friday, they came up 7 runs short.
The CSK team really misses Suresh Raina in the middle order, but Watson needs to improve as an overseas International and they can look to bring in Imran Tahir too to improve the bowling. It’s the IPL though and you always have big names missing out – they just can’t fit everyone into the four spaces.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
CSK were unable to chase down 164/5 here on Friday, but we have had a 201 tie here recently too. It all comes down to if we get dew or not. It can turn par from 160 into 190! That being said, we’ve had seven games here and we’ve yet to see any score chased. We have had two ties however, so factor that in. Basically you want to win the toss and bat first. The weather is set fair.
RECOMMENDED BET:
This is a fascinating game I must say. Both sides clearly have their flaws, but for me it’s CSK who can improve. They have the better starting XI and the better stars – they just need to perform! Kings XI Punjab need good batting conditions, and while Dubai is decent for batting, it’s not a very easy track. It’s not a cakewalk to bat on and I think if CSK can bat first and set a decent score, then they can put Punjab under immense pressure in the chase. Punjab need their openers to fire, and if they don’t then CSK are a long way to winning the game. At the odds, it’s CSK for me.
The Edge Says:
Two points win Chennai Super Kings to beat Kings XI Punjab at 1.85 with BETDAQ Exchange.
View the market here -> http://bit.ly/BDQKinCsk
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
Based on what we have seen so far at Dubai, you want to be on the team batting first. The sweet spot seems to be in the final five overs of their innings when they are well set. I would prefer if that was CSK though, as bar Maxwell I don’t fancy the middle to low order of Punjab. That could be what breaks the run of teams batting first winning if the lower order collapses for Punjab batting first.
Of course, everything changes if the dew falls. Mumbai were able to tie 201 against RCB here with dew. Look for how many rags the players are using, and how much they are using them. If they are trying to dry the ball all the time, then it’s a good time to look for trades on the batting team. Bowling with dew is like bowling with a bar of soap!
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