We have a double header of action over in the ILT20 competition on Saturday and it gets started in Dubai as the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders take on the early pacesetters Desert Vipers in what could be the best match of the tournament so far.
The Knight Riders begin the day in third place in the table and will be looking to make progress from here while the Vipers could move four points clear at the top and be well on track to secure a place in the top four at the very least.
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders probably haven’t delivered on their promise in the opening two campaigns of this competition and they have started this season in fair fashion rather than anything that suggests that they are going to win the title this season. They have already lost to the Desert Vipers this term so they will be looking to get their revenge in this match and be the first team to get the better of the league leaders.
The Knight Riders have a pretty deep batting line up and the big thing about it is there is insane power down the order that if the right platform is laid for it they can do some serious damage. The bowling looks good on paper but having fluffed their lines in the opening match against the Vipers, they got back on track in the second one and will be looking to deliver that sort of showing here and come away with a second win in three matches.
Desert Vipers
The Desert Vipers have started the season on fire and the good thing about their three wins so far is that they have had players joining the ranks but they have still been able to maintain their levels and keep the show on the road. If they win here they will move four points clear at the top and if five wins is the number to get in the top four they would have six games to find the victory that the need to get to that total. We’re early in the season but the Vipers have set themselves up very nicely here.
The one thing that is important to note is that the Vipers have won all three matches chasing a score and it will be interesting to see how they go if they are asked to bat first. They certainly have the bowling unit to get the job done when posting a score although the dew would always make that an issue. The Vipers are going well with the bat and the ball and they will be comfortable with where they are at as they head towards the halfway point of their season.
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Key Players
Andre Russell has finished a couple of innings in big style so far in this tournament and if he can do that again and deliver something with the ball then the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders would have every chance of getting a win here.
Fakhar Zaman is warming to the task at the top of the order for the Desert Vipers and if he can keep up his good form then it would help those coming in down the middle and lower in the batting order. He might end up bowling an over somewhere too.
Betting
The Desert Vipers have already beaten the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders this season and I don’t see what is going to have changed in the matter of a few days so I like them to come out on top here. The only thing you would really fear is an Andre Russell blitz but if he comes in early because wickets fall the Vipers will be able to counter him with Wanindu Hasaranga and if he isn’t in until the back end of the innings it might just be too late to impact the match by then.
Desert Vipers’ batting unit has started the season in great form and the beauty of it is that they have had all of their top order in the runs in different matches. At some stage they will all come together but if a couple of players keep delivering the goods then they should get up to the sort of totals that their bowlers will be comfortable defending. I really like this Desert Vipers bowling unit hence why I backed them outright before a ball was bowled. That 4/5 feels a more than fair price here.
Tips
Back Desert Vipers to beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with Coral
