Indian Premier League - IPL / Andrew Hughes / 12 April 2011 /

After their opening games Pune have the momentum, but Kochi fought well against Bangalore. The first meeting of the IPL new boys could be a close fought affair.

Pune
They have plenty of options, but their opening win against Punjab was so convincing, they are unlikely to make changes. This pitch was pretty lively in that game so they may consider playing an extra quick, probably Jerome Taylor.

Kochi
Kochi have a far smaller squad than Pune and limited room for manoeuvre. They are likely to retain their seam-strong attack for this pitch and may give a game to young Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera.

Match Odds
Pune's plethora of big names is likely to make them regular favourites but they have their weaknesses. Their batting is top heavy, Graeme Smith is not a great Twenty20 player and both Jesse Ryder and Robin Uthappa are prone to recklessness. And I'm not yet convinced by the captaincy of Yuvraj Singh. Kochi, by contrast, are well led by Mahela Jayawardene and looked good against Bangalore. Sreesanth and RP Singh should like this surface and at [2.38] they represent excellent value.

Top Kochi Batsman
Brendon McCullum looks in good touch and is the most aggressive batsman in the Kochi line-up. He should be backed to top score at [3.5] or more.

Best Bet

Andrew Hughes says: Back Kochi to beat Pune @ 2.4

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