IPL Betting: Rajasthan Royals v Kolkata Knight Riders

Indian Premier League - IPL / Edward Hammond-Kenny / 19 March 2010 / Leave a Comment

Chris Gayle's inclusion should provide the Knight Riders with some serious power at the top of the order

"Losing Dimitri Mascarenhas has badly weakened the balance in the Royals team. Their tail now looks long which is adding pressure onto their inexperienced top order and they lack a containing opening bowler. To say they look increasingly reliant on a big score from Yusuf Pathan to remain competitive in matches is an understatement."

Rajasthan have had a miserable start to the tournament with three losses from three and injuries to key players.Things are likely to get even worse when they face a Kolkata Knight Riders' side welcoming back Chris Gayle, says Edward Hammond-Kenny.

Venue and Conditions

Following a chastening defeat in Bangalore, Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals return home to Ahmedabad still searching for their first win. There is no guarantee that the Royals will find life any easier at home though as they were soundly thumped by a Virendir Sehwag-inspired Delhi in their first home game. That pitch looked like a reasonable batting track and the one for this match should be similar. As this is a day game, hopefully the crazy moth-infestation that made the Delhi game such a bizarre spectacle should be less of an issue.

Team News

Rajasthan have been rocked by injuries already this tournament and against Bangalore they had to rely on Hampshire's Michael Lumb and the supposedly retired Aussie legend Damien Martyn to bolster their batting. They both looked out of touch so Adam Voges should get a chance in this match.

Kolkata will welcome big hitting West Indies opener Chris Gayle back into the fold so one of Owais Shah or Brad Hodge will likely miss out. Angelo Mathews and Shane Bond should retain their places.

Match Odds

Kolkata are hot favourites at [1.54] at the moment with Rajasthan available at [2.7]. Both teams struggled with the bat in their last outings but Kolkata have strengthened in that area with the inclusion of Gayle. Plus, four of their top order already have a 50 so are in some kind of form, meaning they are capable of posting a big score. Fast bowlers Ishant Sharma and Shane Bond haven't fired so far but are more than capable of running through this Rajasthan line up.

Losing Dimitri Mascarenhas has badly weakened the balance in the Royals team. Their tail now looks long which is adding pressure onto their inexperienced top order and they lack a containing opening bowler. To say they look increasingly reliant on a big score from Yusuf Pathan to remain competitive in matches is an understatement.

Top Batsman

Rajasthan look to Yusuf Pathan for the big runs and he has top scored in two of their three matches so far, but Bangalore peppered him with short bowling and he looked vulnerable. Aussie Adam Voges has an impressive T20 record and shouldn't be overlooked if he is selected.

Chris Gayle will head the Kolkata market. The last ODI he was involved in against Zimbabwe looked like an IPL warm up game for him as he belted 63 off 41 balls. Rajasthan's bowling is weak and the pitch is batsman-friendly so oppose him at your peril.

Featured Market

Take Chris Gayle over Yusuf Pathan in the batsman head-to-head market. Batting during the powerplays gives the big Jamaican a huge advantage in terms of scoring opportunities. Yusuf will be under extra pressure as the star batsman in an inexperienced line up and that could negatively affect him on the day

Trivia

Local officials in Ahmedabad have been 'fogging' their stadium for the last three days in an effort to put off the moths. Only time will tell if they are successful in stopping nature.

Best Bet

Ed Hammond-Kenny says: If Kolkata bat first, take advantage of Rajasthan's weak bowling attack by looking to back '170 Runs or More' on the Kolkata Innings Runs market.