IPL Betting: Delhi Daredevils v Mumbai Indians

Indian Premier League - IPL / Frank Gregan / 16 March 2010 / Leave a Comment

Sanath Jayasuriya is over 40 years old but can still hit a cricket ball as cleanly as anyone

"All of the talk prior to this game will be about the two diminutive but mega-talented batsmen who have spent a lifetime at the crease together on international duty, but find themselves on opposite sides in this fixture. It will be billed as the 'Virender and Sachin show' and consequently Sehwag and Tendulkar will dominate the two markets."

It's two wins from two for Delhi and one from one for Mumbai so something's got to give as the two tournament favourites lock horns on Wednesday. All of which should make for yet another cracking match, says Frank Gregan.

Venue and Conditions

Named after a 14th Century Delhi Emperor, The Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium was built in 1883 but these days the pitch is a cause for concern, not pride. An ODI against Sri Lanka in December last year had to be abandoned because the pitch was deemed dangerous. The track has survived an IPL committee inspection but will still be under the microscope during this match.

Team News

The Delhi Daredevils go into this home game in great nick having won twice on the road. They will be hoping that their bowler friendly wicket aids Dirk Nannes, who is in fantastic form. The Aussie has taken 3 wickets for 39 runs at an economy rate of 4.9 and with Virender Sehwag in explosive form with the bat, the Daredevils will be confident they can make it a perfect three from three start. With their two top international batsmen, Tillakaratne Dilshan and AB de Villiers out of sorts, David Warner will be hoping to get his chance.

The Mumbai Indians should be able to welcome the West Indian duo of Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo back into the fold. Both were unavailable due to their international commitments and missed Mumbai's win in their opening game against Rajasthan during which they recorded their highest-ever score in the IPL.

Their bowling attack almost made a pig's ear of defending the huge total and Rajagopal Sathish, who had an economy rate of 17, will have the shakes as the team sheet is pinned up. Harbhajan Singh, who was injured whilst batting, didn't take his place in the field and is a doubt for this game. It may open the door for Pollard and as the West Indian all-rounder attracted the maximum allowed bid of $750k in January, it is likely he will be thrown into the fray at the first opportunity - jet lag permitting! Essex's Graham Napier looks likely to miss out again.

Match Odds

Delhi and Mumbai are respectively first and second favourites to win this tournament and a close game is expected with Delhi being quoted at [1.78] due to their home advantage. Mumbai will be available to back at odds in the region of [2.24].

Top Runscorer

All of the talk prior to this game will be about the two diminutive but mega-talented batsmen who have spent a lifetime at the crease together on international duty, but find themselves on opposite sides in this fixture. It will be billed as the 'Virender and Sachin show' and consequently Sehwag and Tendulkar will dominate the two markets. As ever when these games within a game pop up, it may prove wise to give them a miss and look elsewhere for value. The Mumbai wicket-keeper Aditya Tare came in higher up the order than expected and given his low profile, he should be available at a big price.

For Delhi both Tillakaratne Dilshan and AB de Villiers have not hit their straps yet. In fact, in his two matches to date, Dilshan has yet to score a run and de Villiers is not faring much better. It's difficult to look past the Delhi openers and with all the attention being heaped upon Sehwag, it may be that skipper Gautam Gambhir is the one to follow.
Featured Market

A big price is usually attainable on there being 10 or more runs in the first over market. Of the six games played to date, the target has been reached twice, once when Mumbai were batting and once when Delhi were bowling. Delhi have won both tosses and elected to field and Mumbai chose to bat when they won the toss. If the formula repeats itself, odds of [4.5] should be available on the Indian's Jayasuriya getting his side off to a flyer and reaching the magic ten off the first six balls.

Trivia

Mumbai created IPL history on Saturday when they became the first IPL side not to play their full quota of overseas players.

Best Bet

Frank Gregan says: Back 10 runs or more in the first over at [4.5] or greater if Mumbai bat first.