The clocks are going back but we still have another double header of action to enjoy in the Indian Premier League on Sunday with the first of the two matches coming from Dubai where the Royal Challengers Bangalore take on the Chennai Super Kings.
The match carries no real significance for the Super Kings as they are as good as out of the competition now but for the Royal Challengers there is the opportunity to move to the top of the table for a few hours with a win here.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
The Royal Challengers Bangalore go into this match having won their last two matches and another win here will as good as secure their play-off spot and leave them in control of their own destiny when it comes to pushing for a top two spot which would present them with an easier path through to the final. These are pretty heady days for Bangalore so it will be interesting to see if they can hold their nerve from here on in.
The turnaround in Bangalore this season has been their bowling attack which has been up there with the best in the tournament throughout its entirety but since Chris Morris has come in it has gone to new levels. There are still major concerns if their top four don’t fire and it probably wasn’t the worst move in the last game to drop AB de Villiers down the order and give others some time in the middle. All that did though was prove how light they are outside their big four.
Chennai Super Kings
This has been a wretched season for the Chennai Super Kings. They put their faith in experience and it turns out that those players were past it and they have barely landed a blow in the competition at all. They have only won three of their matches and of the eight they have lost it is hard to argue that they deserved to win any of them. Their biggest defeat was their most recent one against the Mumbai Indians on Friday and they’ve not had much chance to gather themselves for this match.
The Super Kings now get to play the role of spoilers and it is amazing how many teams find their form when the pressure is off. If that is going to happen for the Super Kings then they are going to need to find some top order runs. They’ve barely got going in the first 10 overs of an innings all season and if they continue to struggle in that department then this campaign is going to be rendered a damp squib from here on in.
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Key Men
Chris Morris is having a massive impact on the Royal Challengers Bangalore this season and if he can get stuck in early on with the ball then the fragile confidence of the Super Kings batters will be exposed, opening up the game for Bangalore.
Sam Curran is one of few bright sparks to come out of the Chennai Super Kings season and while the move to open with him never worked he showed his class in the last game. Chennai could do worse than build their side around him moving forward.
Betting
I’m not expecting a high scoring match here. Outside of Sharjah three of the Chennai Super Kings’ last four innings have totalled 132 or less and it is hard to see them finding many more runs against this Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling attack especially when their motivation is low and their confidence even lower. I’m still not convinced that Bangalore are completely reliable with the bat in hand especially if they lose a couple of early wickets.
The runs line for this match is as high as 323.5 runs which just feels a little on the high side. These wickets are beginning to play tough and batsmen are really struggling as a result. In the last week of matches in the tournament we’ve seen innings of 114, 135/9, 114/9, 84/8 and 125/5 and if either of these two produce anything in that ball park, and two of those scores are Super Kings scores so it can’t be ruled out, then it is hard to see how this match clears this line. I’m happy to get on the under here.
Tips
WON – Back Under 323.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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