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IPL Betting: Rajasthan Royals v Kings XI Punjab

Indian Premier League - IPL RSS / / 05 April 2012 /

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Rajasthan royalty: captain Rahul Dravid with owner Shilpa Shetty

Rajasthan royalty: captain Rahul Dravid with owner Shilpa Shetty

"Gilchrist, Marsh and Paul Valthaty whacked 58 maximums in IPL4, each finishing among the tournament's top eight six-hitters"

Tobias Gourlay thinks the toss will be crucial as Rahul Dravid leads Rajasthan into the post-Warne era

Rajasthan

Shane Warne has been the defining figure of the Royals since they won IPL1 in 2008. Not any more. Rahul Dravid is the new boss. He has a similar standing in the world game, but it remains to be seen whether he has the force of personality to drive a rag-tag bunch of underdogs deep into this season's competition.

Shane Watson is on duty for Australia, which means one of Owais Shah and Paul Collingwood might be required to step up.

Punjab

Punjab won as many as they lost in IPL4 last year, but did not spend heavily in the most recent player auction. Adam Gilchrist is coach and captain. He must do without countryman Ryan Harris for the early games of the tournament.

Venue & conditions

Bounce is often low at the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur. Last season this affected teams batting first more than those that followed. Only one team - Chennai, the eventual tournament winners - scored more than 160.

Match Odds

Gilchrist's team were streaky in the extreme last season, going on winning runs of three and then four games, but, inbetween, losing five straight. With Rajasthan entering a new era, the best guide seems to be the results of the team batting second in Jaipur. Those teams won six of the seven matches there last season.

Rajasthan Top Batsman

No one batsman shone for the Royals last season - as ever, the emphasis was on collective performance. Dravid was their leading runscorer, despite managing only one fifty.

Punjab Top Batsman

Australians will dominate this market. David Hussey had a terrible IPL4 - 64 runs in eight matches - but recovered to lead the Melbourne Stars' run chart in the Big Bash League. Shaun Marsh, IPL1's leading batsman, was fourth overall last year. Then there is Gilchrist, but his age is now well ahead of his average.

Most Sixes

Gilchrist, Marsh and Paul Valthaty whacked 58 maximums in IPL4, each finishing among the tournament's top eight six-hitters. Rajasthan's leading exponent was Watson (17), who misses this match. Punjab will be a great value bet at anything close to evens.

Best bet: Back the team batting second
Other recommended bet: Back Punjab Most Sixes @ [2.0]

*Follow Tobias on Twitter: @tobiasgourlay

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