Mr Cricket: Deccan v Bangalore

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Deccan (Hyderabad) v Bangalore

Well, here it is. The match we have all been waiting for. NOT! These are the IPL's two most disappointing teams - by a mile - and they are battling for the wooden spoon here. Hyderabad, the pre-tournament favourites, have been dreadful and are floundering in last place with wins from just two of their 10 games. That is despite the fact they have a team that has at times boasted Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs and Shahid Afridi. Where did it all go wrong? Well they haven't played like a team and some players - notably Afridi - have looked as though they haven't given a damn.

Bangalore, in second-last, have just one more win but at least they have the excuse that they just haven't had the quality playing cattle. These teams are just as bad as each other and although we are tempted to tip Hyderabad (as they have the much better playing stock) we will be steering clear of match betting. Hyderabad have had the stronger side on paper in probably every game they have played in the IPL, but you would have gone broke backing them. So don't touch the match betting.

Gilchrist is one of the few Hyderabad players who has performed and it looks like he will again open with Gibbs in this clash. These two finally clicked together in the last clash when they put on an opening stand of 79 against Punjab. But we don't think they will do it again here because Gibbs has mainly had a terrible tournament. He has been terribly inconsistent and another early departure from him here here adds pressure to Gilchrist. We think there are two Hyderabad players - promising Indians Rohit Sharma and Venugopal Rao - who are terrific value in high-bat markets. Sharma is the team's leading runscorer with 387 runs at 38 while the explosive Rao (who can hit a ball further than Andrew Symonds) has 216 runs at 36. We suggest a 0.5 unit bet on both men to be Hyderabad's high-bat. Take $5 on Sharma with bet365 and $7 on Rao with paddypower.

Kolkata v Punjab

Here we go again. Another match at Eden Gardens. The Kolkata pitch - dreadful early in the tournament - has improved. But it remains a major X-factor and it will prevent us from putting too much of our hard-earned into this clash between Kolkata and Punjab.

Regular readers of these IPL tips will know that Punjab is our favourite IPL team and our tip to win the competition, with its three Australians at the top of the order being the main driving force. But seeing as Punjab have sealed a finals spot - meaning they will be tempted to rest some of their star players - we will not be tipping them here. But neither will we be tipping Kolkata who have lost their last three games.

Only one Kolkata batsman has scored a half-century in the final third of the tournament and they have desperately missed their departed international stars. So with the pitch factor, the resting factor and the ordinary Kolkata factor, there are too many queries to have a match bet here. Some of Punjab's stars may be rested but it is almost certain that their captain, Yuvraj Singh, will not get a spell. Yuvraj has had an up and down tournament and plenty of flat spots with his 219 runs at 21. But there is no more explosive batsman in Twenty20 cricket and he could really come into his own here - especially if some other Punjab stars get a rest. It was only last year that he hit a 12-ball fifty - including six sixes in one over - at the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa. It is getting towards the pointy end of the tournament and Yuvraj will know it is his time to shine. We like him for a 0.5 unit bet to be Punjab's high bat, at $5 with either bet365 or paddypower.