IPL - Kings Punjab XI (Mohali) v Chennai Super Kings

We got the punting chocolates in the first IPL game so let's move on with a bit of confidence and extra cash under our belt. This game throws up so many tantalising individual contests - games within the game - that it could be one of the clashes of the tournament. This is what the promoters had in mind ... Matthew Hayden (Chennai) v Brett Lee (Punjab) ... captains Ms Dhoni (Chennai) v Yuvraj Singh (Punjab) ... Kumar Sangakkara (Punjab) v Muttiah Muralidaran (Chennai).  Chennai are missing fastmen Makhaya Ntini and Albie Morkel so their bowling looks a bit thin but we aren't concerned because their batting looks superb and their match-ups are cherry-ripe for this clash. Twenty20 is a game made for batsmen so its hard to overlook a side that includes Hayden and Stephen Fleming at the top of the order and Dhoni and Jacob Oram (who we rate as one of the most exhilarating hitters in the world) in the middle-order. Chennai's big bonus for this clash is they have Muttiah Muralidaran, an ace weapon who in eight Twenty20 matches has taken 17 wickets at an average of 9.17 and an economy rate of 5.37 runs per over. Punjab are without a world-class spinner to provide variety. Brett Lee is being hyped as a big weapon for the Punjab side but he can just as easily be a liability in this form of the game. Chennai skipper Dhoni has already proved he is a world-class captain while Yuvraj Singh - while he could be a huge batting weapon in Twenty20 - will find his captaincy credentials under severe examination. Our first suggested bet is a simple one - get on Chennai straight out at the $1.85 being offered by Lasseters. It's a good bet this one so we'll have 1 unit.

ANOTHER DABBLE

After watching the development of James Hopes closely for several years, we are convinced the Queenslander can be the real deal at international level. His level-headed, but ultra-aggressive, style of batting is also made to order for Twenty20 cricket. On his day he can be devastating and strikes the ball cleaner and harder than just about anyone, while keeping his wits about him and not getting ridiculously rash. Punjab has no specialist international openers so it is highly probable Hopes will be given the role, possibly with Kumar Sangakkara. Hopes has opened with distinction for Queensland on many occasions and openers have a gilt-edged chance for a big score in Twenty20 as they come in with a new ball that flies quickly to the boundary. We think Hopes is a decent bet at $6.50 to be the Punjab side's leading runscorer in Paddypower's market, we'll have 0.5 units. You should get a good sight for your money. 

Delhi v Rajasthan (Jaipur)
 
This match will get a lot of attention purely for the presence of one Shane Keith Warne. Warney, the self-styled Delhi captain and coach, enjoyed an international career where everything he touched turned to gold. But it is likely to be a different story here with Jaipur the rank outsiders of the tournament and Warne needing to pull every rabbit out of his hat to turn dust into diamonds. We find it simply too hard to pick the winner of this match with any confidence because both teams are short on batting quality and lack depth. It is too hard to split these teams and if you played this match 10 times there would probably be a 5/5 split. Delhi are as short as $1.50 in some markets but we would not be touching that because Jaipur do have plenty of matchwinners in Shane Watson, Darren Lehmann and Warne. The Delhi side - with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir anchoring the batting and Glenn McGrath opening the bowling - does look more formidable but nothing would surprise us here. A lot could depend on how fading stars Warne, McGrath and Lehmann go and that's in the lap of the gods. Watch and learn here - don't touch the match betting. It's even hard to find anything in the exotic betting to keep our punting dollar turning over!
 
We are going to suggest one bet here but make sure its only small as it falls into the Hail Mary category! Delhi look to have one of the best fielding sides in the tournament - a young team set to throw down the stumps at every opportunity. By contrast, Jaipur have some  old legs. It's not hard to imagine Lehmann and Warne struggling between the wickets. Lasseters has a market on the team to suffer the most run-outs and Jaipur are listed at $3. That will be enough for a small 0.5 unit bet for us. Sometimes with betting on Twenty20 you've simply got to sit back and watch and learn. Do that here and you will be in a better position to assess both of these lower-rung teams for later in the tournament.

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