Mr Cricket: Mumbai v Punjab & Chennai v Bangalore

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IPL - Mumbai v Punjab

What a rip-snorting clash this promises to be! Notwithstanding Jaipur, these are the two form teams of the IPL and they both have struck an incredible purple patch after slow starts to the tournament. Punjab have won seven of their last 10 while Mumbai have won their last six in a row and Sachin Tendulkar is back in their lineup. Mumbai have lost allrounder Dwayne Bravo for this game. Mr Cricket was there at Sabina Park in Jamaica when Bravo arrived ahead of the West Indies Test series with Australia. Mumbai must have paid Bravo well because he arrived in Jamaica on a private jet and wearing designer clothes from head to toe.

We make no secret of the fact that we really love Punjab as a side. Australians have been the stars of the IPL and Punjab's biggest strength is they have three big-hitting Aussies - James Hopes, Shaun Marsh and Luke Pomersbach at the top of their order. Mumbai have two big guns at the top of their order - Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya - and the home crowd factor which is absolutely enormous in Mumbai. However we feel Punjab has more batting depth - after the three Aussies they have big hitting Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan and the reliable Mahala Jayawardene.

Mumbai do have Robin Uthappa coming in near the top of the order but not a hell of a lot else in terms of international experience. We love the way Punjab play their cricket and we certainly want to be on them in this match as the outsiders. You can get $2 on Punjab with Lasseters in this game and that will certainly do us for a one unit bet. We think Punjab are so strong that they don't deserve to be underdogs in any game they play. We know Mumbai are on a hot streak but that can't last forever. Probably the only main reason Mumbai are favourites is because of the home ground factor - but that doesn't sway us away from Punjab. The Aussie lads at the top of the order will anchor Punjab's win here and get us the punting cash.

Chennai v Bangalore

Bangalore, Bangalore, Bangalore ... bad, bad, bad. This side has tried more combinations that a Chinese buffet but nothing seems to work. The bottom line is that Bangalore just don't have the playing cattle to be competitive. They might win a Test match but you wouldn't want to be on them with even stolen money in a Twenty20 match. They are last on the ladder with only two wins ... and we don't know how they got them. We have analysed the Bangalore side before this tournament ... but we won't bore you and do it again. Just know that there are way too many duds in this side to be a winning chance.

Chennai have had an up and down tournament but a win over Bangalore will virtually seal a finals spot for them. We know Muttiah Muralidaran is going to hit his straps for Chennai sometime soon and this may be the match he goes off like a firecracker. The only problem with Chennai in this game is their odds - around the $1.45 mark. We have said that we wouldn't tip anything at less than $1.50 in the IPL and we will stick to that rule.

Chennai look home but don't forget it's 20-over cricket and things can sometimes go wrong when you least expect them to. So steer clear of match betting - unless you really want to take the 'shorts' and then we can't stop you I guess!

One thing we do know is that Bangalore's top-order is dead-set awful. One Bangalore player who we think can play this form is Aussie Cameron White who will probably come in at No.5 or 6. White made his name as a legspinner but we have always been firm in the belief that he is a top quality batsman who bowls a bit. He hits the ball as long and has hard as anyone and he will do us for an 0.5 unit bet to be Bangalore's top scorer at $6 with bet365. He doesn't have much to beat!