The Ahmedabad/Delhi portion of the IPL has thrown up some cracking contests and a few surprises. In their final week at the two venues, teams will be eager to establish themselves as playoff contenders.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore | 3 May 2021 | 16:00
To Win Match
Knight Riders 5/4
Tie 25/1
Royal Challengers 67/100
The Kolkata Knight Riders are two wins off the playoff pace at the halfway stage but a strong second half could see them finish in the four.
RCB on the other hand just want to keep their roll going, they have responded well to defeats in the past and cannot afford to dwell on their loss to out-of-sorts Punjab Kings.
Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers are a tough nut to crack this season with some big-game players in their XI.
KKR have several players threatening to launch in this season’s IPL without really getting off the ground.
Verdict: Royal Challengers Bangalore 67/100
Back the Royal Challengers to bounce back from a surprise defeat with a good performance against an inconsistent Knight Riders outfit.
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians | 4 May 2021 | 16:00
To Win Match
Sunrisers 31/20
Tie 25/1
Indians 52/10
The Sunrisers took the drastic step of a mid-tournament captaincy change to try and correct their course.
Mumbai Indians knocked off Chennai Super Kings last time out and the defending champions will now be keen to kick on as they have done in past seasons.
SRH afforded Mohammad Nabi a run in their match over the weekend and could double up on Afghan all-rounders again.
Quinton de Kock has found form for Mumbai and gives them a strong base to build from more often than not.
Verdict: Mumbai Indians 52/100
The Indians are hot favourites coming into this contest and rightly so. Get on de Kock and company to get over the line with minimal fuss here.
Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings | 5 May 2021 | 16:00
To Win Match
Royals 23/20
Tie 25/1
Super Kings 72/100
The Rajasthan Royals probably don’t want to be facing Chennai Super Kings as the men in yellow will want to respond to their defeat to arch-rivals Mumbai.
Faf du Plessis has piled on the runs for CSK and appears to be in some of the best form of his T20 career.
The Royals’ ace in the hole will be Jos Buttler who smashed an IPL ton last time out for his side.
Moeen Ali has been a surprise hit for CSK and his contributions have been as vital as they have flown under the radar.
Verdict: A 100 to be scored in the match – yes 5/1
Both sides are stacked with some bang in-form batsmen. A bit of a long shot, but some nice value at 5/1
Royal Challengers Bangalore v Punjab Kings | 6 May 2021 | 16:00
To Win Match *tba
Royal Challengers
Tie
Kings
RCB get the chance to avenge their shock IPL defeat to the Punjab Kings at the same venue within a week.
The Kings bowled well in that victory finding a way to throttle the dangerous RCB top order, but repeating the feat will be double the challenge.
RCB need to be more incisive with the new ball to limit the impact of Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul.
The Kings need to string some wins together to get into the playoff race while their opponents won’t want to fade away.
Verdict: Royal Challengers Bangalore
The Kings’ record at this year’s tournament hasn’t been great. Get on the Royal Challengers to come away with the points.
