Couch Critic previews the betting for the Indian Premier League matches taking place on Saturday 20th April including Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals v Kings XI
RAJASTHAN ROYALS vs MUMBAI INDIANS (Saturday, 20 April – 12:30)
Setting the Scene: Mumbai have pulled themselves up to second spot on the log after a slow start and now travel to Rajasthan to face a Royals side in desperate need of victory to stay in the fight for a playoff spot. The reverse of this fixture saw the Royals pick up one of their two wins thus far.
Let’s Talk Tactics: RR have relied heavily on Buttler to get worthwhile totals and unfortunately for them this hasn’t happened with enough regularity. Jofra Archer has led the attack well but there is a lack of quality support for the speedster.
Mumbai have enjoyed decent contributions from Sharma and De Kock combined with effective lower order hitting via Hardik and Pollard. Bowling wise it has also been a team effort from the Indians. Bumrah remains the kingpin but he’s been ably supported by the likes of Gopal, Chahar and the Pandyas.
The last game here at Jaipur was a low scoring 150 a piece affair.
Verdict: Sanju Samson remains my go-to pick for the home team along with Jofra Archer who looks to have found his best form. Hardik came through for us the other day and I will again rely on his big hitting to bring home the bacon.
Bets:
Player to score most Sixes – HH Pandya @ 10.00
Top RoyalsBatsman – S Samson @ 4.50
Top Royals Bowler – JC Archer @ 3.50
DELHI CAPITALS vs KINGS XI (Saturday, 20 April – 16:30)
Setting the Scene: Both the Capitals and the Kings stand on five wins and four losses at this stage of the competition. Both will be keen on keeping their win ration in the black by winning this game and moving toward the sharp end of the table. The Kings XI won the reverse fixture between these sides.
Let’s Talk Tactics: Delhi still haven’t solved their problems lower down the order but at the top they have been relatively solid as many of the top five have pitched in with important knocks. The toast of the town has been Rabada who still sports the purple cap for his efforts with the ball.
The Kings have an even bigger issue than Delhi in terms of finding run-scorers. Apart from the opening pair there has been little else in terms of contributions with the willow. Shami and R Ashwin have been their leaders with the ball.
The previous match at the Kotla saw Mumbai post 168 and the home side come unstuck in a big way in their attempted chase.
Verdict: Skipper Iyer has been in great form but he moved himself down to no4 on the previous occasion to accommodate Munro, thus I will stay clear this time around. Rahul has been making bucket loads of runs and I don’t see a reason to abandon him now. Gayle and Miller are the six hitting names everyone looks out for but Agarwal comes out and expresses himself from ball one. He is a decent pick to clear the rope at a nice price.
Bets:
Top Kings XI Bowler –M Shami @ 4.33
Top Kings XI Batsman – KL Rahul @ 3.75
Player to score most Sixes – M Agarwal @ 10.00
(Note, all odds quoted are subject to change)
Enjoy the cricket and happy punting!
