IPL Betting Day Two

Great start to the IPL, two enjoyable matches and two grand performances by old timers Tendulkar and Dravid. Some of the shots played by the little master were of the rarest class, though I also enjoyed Jayasuriya’s between-the-legs leg glance. Mumbai were far too professional for the lumbering Chennai who didn’t rotate the strike enough, a charge that can also be laid at the door of the Rajasthan Royals and after his performance in the field, Warne deserved better from his batsmen.

In fact the only thing spoiling Day 1 of the IPL was the woeful Setanta coverage. Yet another ex-player (in this case Ronnie Irani) has been hired to tell us the bleeding obvious in an annoying accent. Most laughable of all was when he tried to tell us how cleverly Kevin Pietersen had handled his bowlers. You didn’t need to be Mike Brearley to realise that in damp conditions, with the ball likely to swing and defending a low total, that you should start with your seam bowlers. And the great KP was noticeably muted on the field until the fifth wicket went down when he suddenly began to wave his arms about and shout as though he was in control or something.

But enough of that. One thing that Day One should teach us is that in these autumnal conditions, with the ball swinging, seaming and bouncing a little more than last year, it is the bowlers of true class, rather than the hit and hope merchants who will carry the day. A re-assessment may be necessary and the likes of Laxman, Kallis and Ganguly might turn out to be rather more effective than had been assumed.

A profitable first day, though I can consider myself a trifle fortunate to collect on the Yusuf Pathan topscorer bet, with the great man notching a powerful 11 along with two others. According to the deadheat rules with Bet365, the stake is reduced to a third but that still leaves a profit after Day One of 2.13pts.

Sunday’s first game between Delhi and Punjab shouldn’t be much of a contest, given Punjab’s woeful lack of quality in the bowling department. In the top scorers market, David Warner stands out for Delhi at 5-1 and for Punjab, the 9-2 about Yuvraj with Paddy Power is an eye-catcher, considering he is 11-4 elsewhere.

I was expecting Deccan to be favourites against Kolkata and was stumped when I found that wasn’t the case. As such, I can’t really go for either side. In the top betting market, bearing in mind what I said about batting class being more important in these conditions, I am going to have to go for Laxman (11-2) and Ganguly (9-2) respectively.

Alternatively, you could just back the team that bats first both times.



Wagers

David Warner to be top scorer for Delhi @ 5-1 (Paddy Power)
Yuvraj Singh to be top scorer for Punjab @ 9-2 (Paddy Power)
VVS Laxman to be top scorer for Deccan @ 11-2 (Boylesports)
Sourav Ganguly to be top scorer for Kolkata @ 9-2 (Various)

Running Total: + 2.13pts