The Hundred Tips Matches 23 and 24: MI London will heap more misery on broken Spirit

London Spirit v MI London The Hundred Tips

Click here for London Spirit v MI London odds
Thursday 6 August, 18:30
TV: Live on Sky Sports

MI London are very much alive in the race to finish second or third to make the play-off with Trent Rockets running away with things at the head of the table following five consecutive wins. Manchester Super Giants' win over Welsh Fire on Wednesday was not ideal as they would have preferred a four-point lead on the Super Giants with a game in hand.

But this is must-win and they will be encouraged that it comes against a London Spirit side which has already been eliminated. As discussed in the preview, we had grave fears for Spirit if they lost the toss and bowled first in Leeds and so it proved. Run records tumbled. They represented the ubiquitous dispirited Spirit despite new owners, new players, new everything.

So this should be a relatively straightforward chance for MI to keep the pressure on and gain revenge for the reverse at The Oval earlier in the season. It is true that they have lost Rashid Khan, who took five wickets on his farewell but they are well-stocked to cope. Sikandar Raza has signed as cover for Rashid. Nic Pooran and Sherfane Rutherford both remain with the franchise despite the start of the Caribbean Premier League on the weekend.

The best way to play for this one is a derivative of the match result. MI London are 15/82.88 to win the match and hit the most sixes. There's nowt between the two in terms of power but given the relationship between a win and most sixes this is an obvious play for a mismatch.

Birmingham Phoenix v Sunrisers Leeds The Hundred Tips

Click here for Birminham Phoenix v Sunrisers Leeds odds
Friday 7 August 18.30
TV: Live on Sky Sports

Birmingham Phoenix's aspirations have been reduced to avoiding the wooden spoon. They might be fighting a losing battle. They are comfortably the worst outfit in the competition; their net run rate is significantly worse than any other outfit, they have the second-lowest strike rate (which is alarming given the Edgbaston road) and they are second-worst for bowling economy without including Sunrisers (there has to be some recognition that their home ground is flat).

Performances have reflected that. They just can't bat. Three of their last scores are 116, 100 and 111. So the bet here is relatively straightforward. Go under Phoenix's total match runs at 147.5.

One would be right to wonder why the line is so high. But the market is overstating Sunrisers' bowling economy. It is the worst in the tournament purely because Leeds is like a motorway. The Betfair traders reckon that Leeds will be leaky enough to keep Phoenix in the game. We're not so sure. Something has to give and the gamble is that it is the Phoenix batting. Again.

The Edgbaston wicket has been fair and true. But in the latter stages of the tournament, there has been significant traffic over the square and we're not too concerned that it will cover all manner of Phoenix sins.

An alternative to runs is to hit the same derivative market as the Spirit-MI game. Sunrisers are likely to be a similar price with Sportsbook for the win/moist sixes 'double'. We await prices.

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