Unbeaten Kings XI can continue to dent Bangalore’s IPL hopes
Published:Only in the most frenzied form of cricket could a squad with such illustrious names go from hearing trophy chatter to having questions posed over their stability in four games.
Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore, with AB de Villiers and Yuvraj Singh among their numbers, were bowled out for just 70 last time out and lost for the second game in succession.
Having previously spoken about title ambitions, the RCB skipper is now focussed on regaining the season’s momentum. He must try and do it against the only unbeaten side in the competition next.
Reputation alone makes RCB, who hope to have Chris Gayle available for selection, the 4/5 favourites for the match but considering their recent demise, this price should certainly be avoided.
The 1/1 on Kings XI Punjab, who’ve registered convincing wins on all four occasions they’ve taken the field this term, simply cannot be ignored.
Led by the swinging blade of tournament top-scorer Glenn Maxwell, who has smashed 294 runs in four innings and is a must-back at 4/1 to be the top scorer in a pool of six player with a +2 handicap, Kings XI’s batting has shown RCB’s stars how it should be done.
Three of the top four totals in the IPL 2014 so far belong to the George Bailey-skippered side and with Mitchell Johnson steaming in with the ball, it seems Kohli’s men are going to have to wait a while longer to find the rudder for their season.
Another fantastic punt is the 7/1 about there being a century in the match. Not only do these two possess some of the world’s best batsmen, but those familiar faces have delivered the most IPL centuries in the competition’s history, with five apiece.
One household name you wouldn’t bank on at the moment though is Virender Sehwag, whose 37 last time out was his highest IPL score in 13 innings. He’s likely to fall under his 18.5-run line for the match at 5/6.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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