IPL Batters and Bowlers Tips: Standout picks at 7/2, 10/1 and 12/1

• 100/1101.00 spot for top bat and 10/111.00 for top team bat

• Mohit and Mohsin go close

• Ground run rate averages

Top tournament runscorer

Only twice in IPL history has an opener not won the top tournament runscorer market. That's 14 out of 16. Betting on anyone outside the top two in the order is ill-advised.

Neither is it an honour bestowed by fluke. Quality will out. Shubman Gill's win last season for Gujarat Titans was batting of the highest class. His return of 52.3 runs per innings was above the average required since the first competition in 2008 by one run.

Top IPL runscorers by year (RPI):

- 2023: Gill 52.3
- 2022 Buttler 50.7
- 2021 Gaikwad 39.6
- 2020 Rahul 47.8
- 2019: Warner 57.6
- 2018: Williamson 43.2

Gill's topping of the charts was confirmation of his place as India's next batting God. But deities come thick and fast in India and Yas Jaiswal may be next to be anointed.

Jaiswal is 9/110.00 joint-favourite, alongside Virat Kohli, who else? Gill is 10/111.00. Gill may have an advantage as Gujarat's Ahmedabad home is third-flattest and pairing an opener with a flat wicket will make sense.

Gill is perhaps underrated on that rationale, particularly as Kohli and Rohit Sharma (Bangalore and the Wankhede are roads) don't boast the numbers to suggest they still have what it takes.

Average run rates by venue in T20:

- Bangalore 8.5
- Wankhede 8.3
- Ahmedabad 8.2
- Punjab 8.2
- Eden 8.09
- Delhi 7.9
- Hyderabad 7.87
- Jaipur 7.6
- Chennai 7.5
- Lucknow 7.3

There could be value lower down the betting lists if one is required to take a punt on a quixotic talent. Punjab's Prab Singh has close to elite numbers on strike rate and average and should open on a good batting wicket in Chandigarh.

Singh smashed 103 off 65 balls against Delhi last season in what was a breakthrough innings. He could go from strength to strength and at 100/1101.00 is a suggested each-way play (1/4 the odds the first four).

A better wager is the standout 10/111.00 that he tops for his team. He has very little to beat with Shikhar Dhawan taking a back seat to his thrusting. Given that we would have him favourite on that market it may be the only batting bet that is required.

Now read the IPL team guide here!

Top tournament bowler

We will swerve the top tournament bowler outright market, similarly to focus on two pace bowlers of repute to top for their respective teams for simpler pickings. Mohit Sharma for Gujarat Titans and Mohsin Khan for Lucknow Super Giants.

Mohit should be considered the main man for Gujarat now that Mohammad Shami has been ruled out of the tournament.

Last term Mohit was second to Shami on the overall tournament list with 27 wickets in 14 games and a wicket every 9.8 balls. He was pipped by one with Shami playing three games more.

He perhaps has only Rashid Khan to beat, who was third overall as Titans dominated with the ball. Rashid is coming back from injury and there is always a sense that teams, on occassion, may try to see him off. Mohit is 7/24.50.

Mohsin is classed as an elite bowler by analysts. He is underrated by Sportsbook who make him as big as 12/113.00 for top LSG.

Mohsin, who has looked in great form domestically, took a wicket every 10 balls last year and should be top-dog for Lucknow. It's a strike rate good enough to suggest he should be favourite if he can keep fit. Staying on the pitch was an issue in 2023.

Now read why Mumbai are hard to stop here!

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