It’s a double double-header weekend with a pair of IPL matches on Saturday and Sunday. That also means it’s a bit of a moving weekend and we will see the final picture of the IPL table begin to take shape.
All eight sides are still in with a chance of making the play-offs, although the likes of the Royal Challengers and the Kings are well off the pace at the minute. James Richardson previews matches 42-46.
Friday 26 April
Knight Riders 62/100 | Tie 25/1 | Kings 27/20 (16:00)
KKR have been a bit stop-start during this campaign when it comes to results but they have been consistently entertaining.
At Eden Gardens they have been able to get the job done more often than not winning three of their four matches at their home ground.
Punjab Kings have won just one match on the road in the IPL so far this season and haven’t put Kagiso Rabada in positions where he can win them matches with his excellent performances.
The runs have flowed at Eden Gardens with KKR putting up over 200 every time they have batted first at the venue.
Verdict: Kolkata Knight Riders 62/100
The Knight Riders should get the job done in front of their Eden Gardens faithful.
Saturday 27 April
Capitals 27/20 | Tie 25/1 | Indians 62/100 (12:00)
Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians are both teams threatening resurgence if not quite getting it done.
The Capitals hold the better table position and won last time out which supports the narrative that claims the team were hampered by an absence of home games early on.
Mumbai Indians are a team that have a history of clawing their way back to make the playoffs and getting clutch results.
MI lost their momentum when they travelled to Jaipur to get roundly and royally thumped by Rajasthan which might diminish their appetite for the fight on the road.
Verdict: Delhi Capitals 27/20
I’m leaning toward the Delhi outfit to spring a bit of a surprise on home turf.
Super Giants 21/20 | Tie 25/1 | Royals 82/100 (19:00)
The Royals are a team on a roll right now as they top the table off the back of a three-match winning streak.
RR can open up that gap even further if they beat a team struggling to show they are more than playoff pretenders.
LSG got the clutch result on the road last time out as they chased down a big score in Chennai.
They welcome the table toppers but LSG might be a side looking down in concern rather than up in ambition.
Verdict: Rajasthan Royals 82/100
The log leaders are tipped to get the job done away from home.
Sunday 28 April
Titans 81/100 | Tie 25/1 | Royal Challengers 21/20 (12:00)
Gujarat Titans have been good throughout the IPL but haven’t been able to make the cavernous Narendra Modi Stadium a fortress.
Two from four at home isn’t a record the Titans will be proud of but to be fair to them it isn’t a ground that really favours the hosts unless it is full to the brim.
RCB finally turned it on last time out to beat an in-form Sunrisers Hyderabad in a classic IPL thriller.
With the popular RCB in town, this might just be the match that sees Ahmedabad come alight.
Verdict: Gujarat Titans 81/100
It remains to be seen whether RCB’s win last time was a blip or the start of something special. I’m leaning toward the former. Back the home side.
Super Kings 72/100 | Tie 25/1 | Sunrisers 23/20 (16:00)
Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad are in Sunday’s proverbial main event but both sides are looking to bounce back from shock defeats.
CSK and SRH had been the teams threatening to keep pace with the Royals and keep the men in purple honest.
For SRH the result feels more like an outlier as they lost a close contest albeit against a side at the bottom of the table.
CSK have lost their last two to slip back to 50/50 in their win-loss ratio and they will want to return to winning ways on their own patch having won their first three at the ground.
Verdict: Chennai Super Kings 72/100
It’s difficult to split these two, although I think the home crowd will have a positive effect on the Super Kings’ chances.
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