Indian Premier League - IPL / Ed Hawkins / 14 April 2011 /

Strugglers Kochi are not given much hope against the IPL powerhouses of Mumbai. Ed Hawkins reckons, however, that the underdogs can get a foothold in Friday's game

Mumbai
The Indians, with two muscle-flexing wins from two, have been boosted by the expected news that Kieron Pollard has not been called up by West Indies for the ODI series with Pakistan. The Indians are dripping with talent, of course and it is refreshing to see other players supporting Sachin Tendulkar with the bat. Ambati Rayudu top scored in the win over Bangalore.

Kochi
It is not looking too cosy for our outright pick Kochi. They needed an early win and with two losses from two they will face Mumbai fearing the worst. They are grateful then for Aussie allrounder John Hastings arriving to add much needed ballast.

Match odds
It is no surprise to see Mumbai as short as [1.44] for this one. Kochi are as big as [3.2] and with odds so gigantic - this may be one of the biggest mismatches in the tournament in terms of pricing - they have to be a back-to-lay option. As we saw in their first game against Bangalore, it doesn't take much for their price to crash. They went from [2.6] to [1.75] thanks to a Brendon McCullum flurry. That could happen again or their bowling attack, which still looks pretty tasty, could nip out one early.

Top batsman
Tendulkar will be Mumbai favourite at around [3.5]. But don't forget about Pollard's late hitting ability. For Kochi, Mahela Jayawardene and Brad Hodge are a stellar middle-order pair which suggests the Tuskers are underachieving at present.

Recommended Bet
Back-to-lay Kochi at [3.2]

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