Click here for Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Capitals Odds
Saturday 18th April, 11.00am
TV: Live on Sky Sports
Royal Challengers Bangalore is part of a three-strong mini league of crack units. Delhi Capitals is not included. One would hope that RCB will continue to show why they are champions and why they should move ever closer to a top-two finish.
Virat Kohli and Co. have won twice in a row as they were on the wrong end of Rajasthan Royals’ attacking play. Royals are also in the select group and Punjab Kings are at the forefront and are unbeaten.
RCB’s depth looks strong as they seem to be able to rest Josh Hazlewood. Hazlewood made his first appearance of the season against the Royals and then sat out the next match before returning. It could be that he makes way for Jacob Duffy here again. They have a plethora of fast bowlers and Rasikh Salaam attracts attention.
Delhi is still waiting for the arrival of Mitchell Starc But no one knows whether he will be able to be included in this eleven. He will probably have to replace Lungi Ngidi, who has been impressive especially in the death overs.
As will often be the case this season, RCB are likely to be too smart for Delhi. No doubt, Delhi’s mind was blown by the defeat to Gujarat when David Miller decided to play fast and loose with basic maths, somehow believing that it would be easier to score two runs a ball rather than one. Many speculators are unlikely to forgive.
1.664/6 This is what we would expect from a crack team at home. Even batting second on a flat track and chasing over 200, we don’t expect Bangalore to produce much of a reverse. The easiest way to win with RCB is for both teams to score 170 or more on a reliable Chinaswami surface. it is available here 10/111.91 With sportsbook. If we consider for a moment what target RCB would be chasing, say, 175, then the value is clear.
RCB wins and both teams score 170 runs
Click here for Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings
Saturday 18th April, 15.00
TV: Live on Sky Sports
This is an interesting encounter between two teams who have settled down after a tough start. Sunrise SAt the time of writing it is placed fourth and Chennai is placed eighth but tied with the same number of points.
At the beginning of the tournament it seemed that both were facing a difficult campaign. However, Sunrisers recovered from a six-wicket defeat against RCB to beat Kolkata and then produced their best performance of the season by defeating Rajasthan.
Chennai’s position hasn’t gotten much worse after three consecutive defeats to Royals, Punjab and RCB, with all three likely to have a fight on their own for the top two spots. The win over Delhi and then a comfortable evening against Kolkata has moved them away from the danger of the wooden spoon.
This week there has been news of serious injury to both of them. Sunrisers have lost David Payne and Braydon Carse for the tournament. Already strong with the ball, Sunrisers cannot afford such a comeback. They have moved quickly to bring in Sri Lankan fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka. He has come straight into contention to start alongside Pat Cummins, who is not expected to be included until the end of the month.
Chennai has lost its death expert Khalil Ahmed. This is an injury that probably limits CSK to a mid-table finish. That is equally important. Probably Mukesh Chaudhary will replace him. Chennai may react with a radical change in the balance, but this seems unlikely. He has just finalized his make-up after Dewald Brevis joined the team
Since both teams have less ball, it would not be surprising if the batsmen dominate. The Hyderabad track can be reliable for runs, as long as the track used is not an outside one. Square is fast and true except for one pitch. It has already been used in the contest against Lucknow this season, winning while chasing 156. We are waiting for confirmation of the strip to be used but guess that 7/52.40 It could be a game for both the teams to score 200.
