Click here for MI New York v LA Knight Riders odds
Saturday 27 June, 22.30
TV: Live on Sky Sports
MI New York v LA Knight Riders MLC Tips
Contests at the Oakland Coliseum are proving hard to fathom. We've had a monster score of 22 by Orcas in a one-sided contest. A scrappy, attritional 127 played 132 and then a highly competitive 'both teams to score 190' clash. Perhaps the only thing we can be confident for game 12 is that MI New York's reliability for starting slowly will continue.
MINY have lost two of their first three but will not be in the least bothered. They won one from their first seven, scraped into the play-offs and won the title. That sort of experience is unlikely to make for a unit which turns up with intensity.
If we know what to expect from MINY, less so LA. They had won only five games in their history. But two wins from two has them in second spot. It is most peculiar. Consistently awful in the field they have bowled out Orcas for 119 and restricted San Francisco to 150. Jason Holder, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell are combining as if what was vintage Windies T20 years of yesteryear.
There are a couple of win-rate options to, hopefully, restore order. Quinton de Kock is notoriously difficult to get right. He has scores of 1-26-20, which is not what one would expect from a guy who started the tournament with seven wins from 19 on top bats. He is priced at 3s. For LA Unmukt Chand had a two-season win rate of 40%. He returned to the No 3 slot after being down the order in LA's first game. He could well be worth an interest. Sportsbook go 9/25.50.
Back Unmukt Chand top LA bat
Washington Freedom v Seattle Orcas
Sunday 28 June, 02.30
TV: Live on Sky Sports
Washington Freedom v Seattle Orcas MLC Tips
Washington Freedom sit bottom of the table with two defeats from three and a significantly worse net run rate. It could be the start of a spectacular loss of form. Last season Freedom won eight of their ten group matches. They then suffered a shock loss in the final to MINY. It could be they are suffering a hangover from that disappointment.
Steve Smith was not involved that year but has returned to lead this time. Unfortunately, he also seems to have been affected by the malaise. Smith has scores of 1-27-24. He is costing punters every which way. No top-bat win, no player performance win, no runs quote win. Surely it can't continue?
Well, it sort of has been. Going back to the PSL, Smith has busted the 30.5 mark once in six. That was a century, though, and it had been in rare touch throughout. If that 30.5 mark is our filter in franchise, he's only had one similar sequence in six years. He's had one similar run in T20i.
We await Sportsbook prices to see our options but it would make sense to reckon that Smith, at least in the next two games, produces a performance above the average.