There is yet another double header in the Indian Premier League on Sunday and it starts out in Sharjah when the IPL 2021 season continues for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Punjab Kings who meet in another big game.
The Royal Challengers are in position to make it into the playoffs but given their terrible run rate they need another win to be sure of it. Punjab need to win their final two matches and hope results go for them in order to extend their season.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
The Royal Challengers Bangalore returned from the break in the season in indifferent form, losing their opening two matches, but a lot of that was to be expected when you consider that two huge players for them – Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers – had hardly played since the time the IPL was in India. Once those two got up to speed the Royal Challengers immediately improved and they have won their last two to leave them a win away from securing their playoff spot.
Their batting has really elevated itself in the last couple of matches and there is probably still more to come from that unit. Their bowling has also come to the party, although the naivety with which the Rajasthan Royals batted against them last time out was certainly a big help. Bangalore have played one match in Sharjah this season, one which they lost to the Chennai Super Kings, which while disappointing, isn’t exactly the worst result.
Punjab Kings
The Punjab Kings have won two of their four matches in the UAE as well. They will know that really should have been three because they completely blew the first match but they have won their latest outing which will give them some sort of confidence heading into what are basically two must win matches if they are going to be around after the regular season concludes. One positive for the Kings is that they have played in Sharjah this season and won there which should boost their confidence further.
Looking at their matches so far since the restart, it would appear that despite the pitches tiring, the Punjab Kings might be better off chasing here. Both their better batting efforts have come when they have chased scores and although they have won a match when they have set a target, they didn’t bat particularly well in the game and were fortunate that the Sunrisers are just a terrible side this season. They have posted 183/4 and 168/5 chasing as opposed to 125/7 and 135/6 when batting first.
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Key Men
Glenn Maxwell has really come to the fore in the last couple of matches and on a ground this size he could cause maximum impact with the bat. The pitch here has been on the slow side throughout the competition so his off spin is likely to be important too.
Arshdeep Singh is one of the best bowlers in the competition this season and the Punjab Kings will need the seamer to deliver the goods here. His changes of pace will be hard to get away and if he can get rid of Virat Kohli early it might just open up the game for the Kings.
Betting
I like the performance of Glenn Maxwell here, especially in these conditions which aren’t going to be any better after there was a match here in the daytime on Saturday. That means his off spin should come to the party here especially when Nicholas Pooran is at the crease for the Punjab Kings. He is obviously a very good fielder as well so he is going to field in the positions that matter for the Royal Challengers Bangalore which is never a bad thing.
The real reason to live the performance though is because he has come alive with the bat. He has scored 50s in his last two innings and has played quite sensibly which is encouraging. The Australian used to play for the Punjab Kings so he is going to know all the bowlers he will come up against here very well. He has a performance line of 32.5 which he is more than capable of covering with the bat but given that I expect him to be heavily involved in the field too I am happy to be on the over here.
Tips
Back G.Maxwell’s Performance – Over 32.5pts for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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