Indian Premier League - IPL / Andrew Hughes / 15 March 2010 /

The Priety Zinta XI from Punjab journey south in search of their first victory against Bangalore, who were themselves on the end of a royal spanking in Kolkata at the weekend. Andrew Hughes previews Tuesday's matinee fixture in the IPL

Venue and Conditions

In February, the ICC reported that the outfield at the Chinnaswamy Stadium was 'disappointing' and the final of this year's Ranji Trophy was moved from this venue as the pitch was deemed too flat. A bobbly outfield and a dead wicket suggest a tricky time for bowlers and fielders.

Team News

With Shaun Marsh and Brett Lee still injured and Adrian Barath not yet available, Punjab's options are limited. Karan Goel may get a chance to open with Ravi Bopara after Manvinder Bisla's failure on Saturday.

Bangalore have even less room for manoeuvre with Kevin Pietersen, Ross Taylor and Steven Smith on Test duty and Cameron White involved in the Sheffield Shield. Mark Boucher or seam bowler Vinay Kumar are possible options.

Match Odds

In their opening fixtures, both these teams batted first and limped to inadequate totals, due to power failures in the middle order. But whereas Bangalore surrendered tamely thereafter, the men from Punjab at least put up a fight, winkling out some key Delhi batsmen and taking the game down to the last ball. The form book, therefore suggests that Punjab's defeat was worth more than Bangalore's.

The pitch will have plenty of runs in it so this game will go to the team that puts in the best fielding performance. On that score the home side have most to be worried about. They looked sluggish on Sunday and both Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis were expensive. Even with home advantage, the Royal Challengers make little appeal at around [1.8]

Top Runscorer Market

For Punjab, ignore Yuvraj Singh, who looked rusty at the weekend. Ravi Bopara played a sensible innings and wouldn't be the worst investment but Kumar Sangakkara has the experience and the shots to be worth backing at [4.2] or higher.

Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey failed for Bangalore on Sunday, whilst Raul Dravid and Robin Uthappa have not convinced as Twenty20 players. Your money will therefore be safest with big Jacques at around [4.0].

Featured Market

In 13 Twenty20 games here, only two have failed to produce a half-century. You should therefore consider backing 'Yes' in the 'Fifty Scored?' market at [1.5] or higher.

Trivia

The fastest growing metropolis in the region, Bangalore is known as the Silicon Valley of India and is home to an estimated 10,000 dollar millionaires.

Andrew Hughes says: Back Kings XI Punjab at [2.0] or higher.

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