Wednesday’s offering in the Indian Premier League comes from Mumbai as the defending champions Mumbai Indians host the pre-tournament favourites Royal Challengers Bangalore in what has as the hallmarks of being a potential cracker.
Mumbai Indians
It has been an inauspicious start to the season for the champions as they have just one win from four matches. This isn’t unchartered territory for them though, they are forging reputations as the worse starters in IPL.
Their problem in this campaign has quite simply been that they’ve not batted well enough but that will have to change if they are to have any chance of winning this one. Their batting hasn’t helped but Mitchell McClenaghan aside their bowlers have been found wanting too and that is not a good combination.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Bangalore have played twice in the competition this season and as you would expect given that both matches were in Bangalore they were both high scoring. The Royal Challengers won their first match but lost their second when they ran into a savage knock from Quinton de Kock.
If Bangalore are to do anything in this tournament they have to find ways to win on the road and their bowling attack must stand up and be counted a lot more than it has been so far in the tournament.
Team news
Martin Guptill got the nod in the last match without much success but I’m expecting him to get another chance in this match. Kieron Pollard was supposedly ill in the last match and he could be recalled here if it helps the balance of the side.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore will be without Chris Gayle but given that he is yet to fire in the tournament that might not be a bad thing. Gayle is back home for the birth of his child. Shane Watson will go up to open in Gayle’s absence.
Form
Mumbai Indians: LWLL
Royal Challengers Bangalore: WL
Wankhede Stadium
The Wankhede Stadium hasn’t played to type in this tournament so far yet. A lot of that has been because the Mumbai batting just hasn’t been up to scratch because the wickets have played pretty well.
Assuming the Mumbai batting line up can deliver the goods in this match then I’m expecting a very high scoring match given the make up of the Bangalore team. On these small boundaries the runs usually flow and either if Bangalore bat first or if Mumbai bat better they will flow here.
Betting
I’m tempted by Mumbai Indians here but really I’d need to see some consistency in their batting before I can commit to them. I’m never a backer of Bangalore at odds on and they showed just why that is the case in their previous match when they never looked like defending a healthy total.
Given all of that and of course the fact this ground is so hard to defend in the second half I’m going to ignore the match prices once again and head for the side markets where the sixes are of the biggest interest to me.
Mumbai’s batting hasn’t delivered in the tournament yet but this is probably quite comfortably the weakest bowling attack they will have faced and on a flat, true pitch with small boundaries the Mumbai batsmen should be licking their lips ready to full their boots.
Bangalore might not have Chris Gayle for this match but they do have Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in frightening form and they can destroy any attack in the world. Add into that Shane Watson and one or two handy hitters down the bottom of the order and Bangalore pack enough punches to go big here too.
All things being equal I’m expecting to see plenty of sixes in this match for the first time in the tournament on this ground. Over 14.5 sixes is very much the call for me in this one.
Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Tips
WON – Back Over 14.5 sixes for a 4/10 stake at 2.10 with Sportingbet
