THE EDGE: The Edge previews Sunday’s IPL Final between IPL Qualifier 2 clash between Kolkata Knight Riders v Sunrisers Hyderabad with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
Final: Kolkata Knight Riders v Sunrisers Hyderabad
🏆 MATCH OVERVIEW:
Two months of crickets version of Bollywood comes to its conclusion as we have the Final of the Indian Premier League on Sunday! Kolkata Knight Riders take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on Betdaq Betting Exchange, it’s quite fitting that these two were the top two sides in the table and we have the best Final. I’m sure Rajasthan Royals fans might argue with that given their last game was a washout and they didn’t get a chance to go past Sunrisers Hyderabad, but that debate was settled in Qualifier 2 as Sunrisers Hyderabad totally outplayed Rajasthan. In Qualifier 1, KKR totally outplayed Sunrisers Hyderabad so they might need to try something different here!
KKR have undoubtedly been the best side at the IPL this season. Their batting has blown most sides away, and their bowling have really peaked at the right time. Their bowling was definitely a weak point in the first five to six weeks of the tournament, but they have come good now. In their last five games they have held sides to 153/9, 145 all out, 137 all out, 139/8 and 159 all out – that final game was against the Sunrisers too so they will need to find a way to get on top of the KKR bowlers who must be full of confidence at the moment. It’s hard to find a fault with the KKR batting – now only did they hold Sunrisers to 159 in Qualifier 1 they chased it down in just 13.4 overs!
The bating from KKR at this IPL has just been sensational – even when the openers have gone relatively cheaply we’ve had some incredible innings from Iyer and Russell in the middle order. Mitchell Starch has lead the bowling, perhaps his Aussie teammate Pat Cummins will come good for Sunrisers on the big stage – we all know he always performs under pressure, and that seems to be the best chance for a Sunrisers success. It’s been quite a while since these two franchises have won the IPL – the wait will be over for one of them!
🏆 WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
Chennai is a fitting place for the Final, and all eyes will be on the wicket. We saw spin here in Qualifier 2 on Friday and it paid to bat first. Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 175/9 and kept Rajasthan Royals down to 139/7 in the chase. As I highlighted in my preview of that game, that is a very normal game for Chennai at this stage of the tournament. However, this year the scores have been a lot higher than usual and it’s paid to chase. Prior to Qualifier 2, the scores have been 173/6 (chased), 206/6 (won), 137/9 (chased), 210/4 (chased), 212/3 (won), 162/7 (chased) and 141/5 (chased). I would have chased in Qualifier 2 – and that’s what Rajasthan did when they won the toss – but having watched Friday’s game I would bat first.
🏆 RECOMMENDED BET:
We should have a cracking Final, and I have to say I was a little surprised to see a reasonably even market. KKR are the favourites at 1.88 but to be honest I would have them shorter. They have been by far and away the best side with the bat at this IPL, and as I said above their bowling has peaked at the right time. Mitchell Starc looks full of confidence, and we all know he can be deadly when he’s in form. They comfortably beat Hyderabad in Qualifier 1, and while there’s so much quality in both sides it’s hard to be very confident, I just feel the 1.88 on KKR offers a lot of value. The only question mark is if we have very slow and low conditions, will their tactics of smacking it to all parts work with the bat, for that reason I’ll limited stakes a little, but the 1.88 is still worth a confident bet in my opinion.
The Edge Says:
Three points win Kolkata Knight Riders to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad at 1.88 on Betdaq Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/KlkSun
🏆 IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
Although I am confident on a KKR win, I do feel there will be an edge in playing conditions here. I feel the side who bats first will have a pretty big edge – I wouldn’t go as far to say it will be match winning, but looking at conditions here on Friday I feel it’s definitely best to bat first. If that was KKR that would be ideal because I also feel the best in-running trading strategy here team wise will be to support the KKR batting – they have been superb this season and bowling is the weak point for Sunrisers Hyderabad too.
