Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Just the one for me tomorrow. 3pts Kings XI Punjab to beat Bangalore Evs Sportingbet The Kings XI have cost me a bit of money in this year's IPL so far but I'm going to take them in this match. Bangalore can't bat and it doesn't seem to matter which batting lineup they stick out they just can't bat. That's the Punjab's strength but unlike Bangalore, Punjab have a very weak bowling attack. That could be being harsh though because we've not actually seen them bowl for 20 overs yet. Bangalore, in the form of Kumar, Steyn and Kumble have 3 pretty reliable bowlers. Kings XI will probably be unchanged which means Bopara, Sangakkara, Jayawardene and Yusuf Abdullah will be the overseas players with Piyush Chawla potentially a key Indian. Yuvraj Singh will look to explode again on a ground where he's exploded to maximum effect in the past. Bangalore may well make a change and bring in Mark Boucher for Jesse Ryder who has been non existant with the bat so far. It's a clash of styles in this match but I believe Kings XI have enough runs in them to win this match whether Bangalore fire or not and that sways me into backing them to get their 1st win.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Slight profit for the day yesterday as the dead heat rules applied with sj on the Kolkata game so a slight loss on that which could have been worse and Delhi won. One today: Bangalore to beat Kings XI Punjab evens tote 10 pts Both teams coming off a couple of defeats but I like the team who at least have won one match this year. Bangalore have struggled since their opening win and there have been far too many failures at the top of the order and too much has been left to a player like Dravid who has actually been in good form in this format for once. However they face a team who arguably have the weakest bowling line up around. The Punjab outfit have lost key players from their side last year such as marsh but its on the bowling side they have been hit most so far. Lee didnt play much anyway last year but Sreesanth is a major blow along with losing Taylor late on. Instead Abdulla has really struggled so far as the overseas bowler and Pathan hasnt really hit his strides yet either. Chawla bowled fairly in his couple of overs in the last game but in general their attack is the weak link in their team. Ok it hasnt had a full game yet but the early signs are not great and it could be that this attack plays into form some of bangalore's struggling top order. I also expect KP will want to prove a point with the bat at some point. The kings batting is strong especially the middle trio of Sangakarra, Singh and jayawardene although I still think the openers might be a bit hit and miss. However to counter that bangalore have three quality bolwers in Steyn, Kumar and Kumble and for me in this game that might just be the difference. Whereas the bangalore team look to have the bolwers to cope with punjab Im not sure punjab do even against a slightly misfiring banaglore line up atm and hence they are the selection.

[Dircus]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Hi Guys, Bit off topic perhaps but as a new member of this site i wanted to say a big thanks to you all for your picks, i've not managed to turn a profit yet but its made betting more fun! Kevshat and Woody in particular - i wish you'd sop picking against each other - perhaps you should have a league :) I'm going with WoodyTHFCs pick today (hope thats not the kiss of death!) Bangalore over Kings XI Punjab

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 The two favs for me today: Mumbai to beat Deccan 5/6 lad 10 pts Mumbai were very impressive in their first game in beating a good side in Chennai. Tendulkar led the way with the bat and along with Jayasuriya that is a strong opening pair. After that is the fairly useful new Indian signing dhawan and possibly duminy as well as bravo so that’s fairly strong. Clearly Deccan have a strong opening pair too and Gilchrist was in great from in this fixture last year and has started off this year well as I said he might in the outrights. However despite deccan’s two wins, Mumbai have arguably the best bowling line up around to contain them. Malinga was great in the first game and he has strong seam support from Khan and Bravo not to mention a quality spinner in Singh. Mumbai are one of the better outfits in this event and I think they can win this. Chennai to beat Kolkata 3/4 spo 10 pts Both these teams suffered defeats on thur. However I like last years finalists to bounce back. Chennai are without Freddie now but on his ipl efforts with bat (not surprising) and also the ball (more surprising), I don’t think he will be missed hugely. Oram could come in and he would be a fine possible replacement. Chennai have such strong firepower and no one less so than Hayden who has looked back to his best in this event so far. After him there is Raina, Dhoni, Morkel maybe Oram so fairly strong. Also the bowling is pretty useful especially if they let Murali bowl his overs here. Balaji bowled well in the last game in tough circumstances and that encourages against Gayle/Mccullum today. For me if Kolkata win today it will have to be one of those two having a huge knock. Sure Ganguly is more than capable too but they need to really be positive early against the possible combination of Balaji and Gony which isn’t the best new ball combo around. If they don’t I struggle to see Kolkata winning this and even if they do, containing a guy like Hayden with a pace attack which looks very Sharma dependent, could be too tough. Chennai for me here.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Left Saturday alone but will go with one for Sunday. +20.83 after Kings XI's win on Friday. 3pts Rajasthan to beat Kings XI Punjab 10/11 Stan James Both these sides opened their win accounts in their last match. Rajasthan came through a terrific match via a super over against Kolkata while Kings XI paced a run chase perfectly to beat Bangalore. Despite that win I like Rajasthan here. Shane Warne doesn't have a great deal at his disposal but what he does have he gets everything out of. Their batting lineup isn't the best but equally it can fire when they all come together. Their bowling is better on paper with Warne, Mascarenhas, Patel, Khan and even Henderson when he plays all solid performers. Kings XI's bowling attack is poor. They let Bangalore get 168 which should've been more but for them losing their way. If Smith and partner can get the Royals off to a good start, the likes of Pathan, Mascarenhas and Jadeja can make hay. However with the bat, Punjab are strong. Bopara, Sangakkara and Jayawardene are excellent strokemakers while Pathan and Yuvraj add the big hitting. However Kolkata had big hitters in their lineup and Warne saw to them. As I said in Rajasthan's last game, Warne is different class as a captain. He's the only one opening with a spinner in this competition and it's working well. He's always thinking and even though the Sri Lankan duo play spin well Warney's letting them go nicely. Punjab can go well with the bat but a 90 odd all out wouldn't surprise either really. Their bowling attack is awful though so I'll go with the Royals here.

[WoodyTHFC]

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Easy winner yesterday. Two today: Chennai to beat Deccan evens bet3 10 pts I was against Deccan on sat and it was costly but Im going against them again here. They have been superb in this event so far this year and are 3/3, in stark contrast to last year when they only won twice. Their batting has been explosive so far with the likes of Gilchrist, Gibbs, Sharma. A slightly weak point arguably is their tail end batting as they showed in the last game when they should have got 200 from their start but overall they will be pleased with the way they have performed with the bat so far. As they will be with their bowling: Singh leading wicket taker I think, Ojha and then Edwards have been good as well. However in chennai they face a team full of massive threat. No Flintoff now but as I said the other day thats not terrible with his form. Hayden is in top form atm and he has good support from the likes of Raina, Dhoni, Morkel maybe Oram today. Chennai's bowling has been a bit hit and miss so far but surely today Murali will be bowling his full 4 overs and that certainly helps and if the new ball bowlers dont get totally thrashed by deccan's opening pair (which is a danger) then I think chennai have enough to beat the undefeated team here. Mumbai to beat Kolkata 3/4 spo 10 pts Mumbai won both the games between these two sides in the last IPL and can win the first one here for me. Mumbai, playing their first game for a week looked slightly rusty on sat in a close defeat to the unbeaten deccan charges. However it was only a week ago that they were impressive against chennai and their team has a nice balance. Tendulkar, Sanath, Bravo, Duminy and then a really strong bolwing attack on paper with Khan, Malinga who has been quality at the death, Bravo, Singh. Their bowling in particular started slightly off the boil aganst deccan's strong line up on sat but they pulled it back well that day in the end and arguably it was just a bit of the lack of sharpness that didnt help them in that game. Kolkata are so dependent on a wonder spell from mendis or sharma or a huge hitting display from gayle, mccullum and maybe ganguly/hodge. Their team does seem to be lacking a player or two in each department and with Mumbai's quality bowling attack and the depth that goes with it, I think the Mumbai team can restrict Kolkata and win this game.

[Dircus]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 I've not had much luck following the advice of others so i'm going with a choice of my own today. Deccan have looked very strong behind the batting of Gilcrist and Sharma grabbing 3 wins to get off to a great start and i'm going to ride them today against a Chennai team that hasn't really fired at all today. As the early game, lights shouldn't affect the team batting second so with arguably the better bowling attack that points to the Chargers. evns

[Wanderer89]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009

I've not had much luck following the advice of others so i'm going with a choice of my own today. Deccan have looked very strong behind the batting of Gilcrist and Sharma grabbing 3 wins to get off to a great start and i'm going to ride them today against a Chennai team that hasn't really fired at all today. As the early game' date=' lights shouldn't affect the team batting second so with arguably the better bowling attack that points to the Chargers. evns[/quote'] going with the stronger overall team :ok

[Dircus]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Deccan Chargers :) Now, looking for a strong performance from Mumbai for a nice daily double.

[Charlie Wong]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Mumbai smashed um, Tendulkar and Jayasuriya gave them an absolute hammering.

[Charlie Wong]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Delhi vs Rajasthan Warney's boys have been really disappointing this year, they've missed Shane Watson with the bat especially,Smith has failed at the top of the order, surprisingly in South Africa and the middle order of the royals looks very brittle, on the other hand Delhi's bowling attack is coming on nicely, with Vettori and Mishra they possess two quality spinners and the batting is power packed with a different player making a contribution in all 3 of their wins so far. Expect the big hitters to be jumping all over the 4/7, but im going for Delhi in the most 6's market, aslong as Pathan doesn't bat for too long, should be a good bet with Sehwag, Dilshan and ABdV all able to hit big shots. Delhi to score most 6's @ Evens (Bluesq).

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Back to +17.83 after Rajasthan's failure to chase down 140 :eyes. One for tomorrow. 5pts Delhi to beat Rajasthan 4/6 Coral I'm not a huge fan of backing short prices in twenty20 as I've said before but I just think Delhi have way too much strength for this Rajasthan side, Warne or no Warne. I didn't see Rajasthan's game on Sunday but only 7 boundaries in an innings is poor and I refuse to believe conditions were that bad. And that was against the worst bowling attack in the competition. Here they face a pretty good one in the form of Nannes, Nehra, Vettori and possibly Mishra. Rajasthan haven't been at the races with the bat so far. Graeme Smith has been awful and other than the odd cameo from Yusuf Pathan there's been nothing there of any note. Their bowling has been good but it'll be under pressure from the get go here with Sehwag blitzing it to all parts. As I've said earlier in the comp, Warne's seen it all before but the trouble he's got here is the clouters just keep on coming! After Sehwag you've got De Villiers and Dilshan in the form of their lives and that's before we mention Gambhir. Rajasthan can counter with Henderson and Mascarenhas but for me Henderson, despite a brilliant tournament over here last year isn't up to this standard. Delhi are strong with both bat and ball and as long as conditions don't deteriorate to their detriment between innings I think the Daredevils will win this.

[Dircus]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Ok, 2 nice wins yesterday and like most under normal circumstances i like Delhi over Rajasthan. I rode the unbeaten Deccan Chargers and i'll do the same here for Delhi BUT its with conditions. I really believe Shane Warne will get the best out of his team, he is always manipulating, calculating and moving his field around in an effort to out think the opponent. If Rajasthan get to bat first and post a defendable total, teams batting second in the late game have found conditions tougher this year and i could see Warne using this to full advantage - slowing scoring down with his spinners. So i'm waiting for the coin toss and i'm going with the team batting first. Delhi to bat first. I like the look of the pitch, and i fancy them to win so 7pts @ 1.58

[Charlie Wong]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 please give me pig flu and put me out of my misery...

[heret0win]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009

please give me pig flu and put me out of my misery...

delhi :@ :@

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 And that's why I hate taking short odds in twenty20 matches :eyes :wall:wall:wall. +12.83 for the tournament now. One for tomorrow. 3pts Bangalore to beat Kolkata 11/10 Skybet It feels a bit weird backing Bangalore here because I've been saying all along that they can't bat. They can't really but Kolkata ain't much better once the top 2 are seen off. Bangalore will be eager to see the back of them as I'm sure they still remember the opening night of last years IPL when Brendon McCullum hit them all around India on his way to a massive 150 odd. However in the last couple of matches, Bangalore have put up a couple of creditable efforts with the bat. Pietersen hasn't set the world alight yet but he, Dravid and Kallis have been solid with the bat they just need a Ryder, Taylor, Uthappa or Boucher to really go mental and they'll be hitting 170s and 180s. Kolkata's last 2 batting performances have been woeful and this Bangalore attack isn't the easiest to score runs against. Any bowling attack which can leave Dale Steyn out can't be bad. Kolkata's bowling isn't that bad although Murali Kartik and Ajentha Mendis are yet to dominate. Ishant Sharma has taken wickets and the medium pacers have kept run rates down it's just after the top 2 the batting is very inconsistent with there literally being nothing after Ganguly at 4. I believe Bangalore are a better all round side. Brendon McCullum seems under a lot of pressure as captain of this side and their last 2 batting displays have been awful. They have a batting lineup that can hit 200 easily if the top 2 get going but equally a 90 all out is just around the corner. We know Bangalore's bowling will be solid so if the likes of Pietersen and Taylor can get them a decent score I think the Royal Challengers of Bangalore will win this one.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 It took them a while but Bangalore won in the end. +3.30 for the game and +16.13 for the tournament. One for tomorrow which I might end up regretting :lol. 3pts Rajasthan to beat Chennai 6/5 Betfred Rajasthan have lost me a bit of cash in this event both in backing them and opposing them but I do fancy them to win this match. Chennai's matches have all been high scoring, partly because of their very strong, big hitting batting lineup and partly because their bowling attack has been woeful and going around South Africa quicker than your average safari. Rajasthan have been completely opposite. Their games have been low scoring because they can't bat but have a very tight bowling attack with an aggressive captain. When I say they can't bat, that's a bit harsh, they can, they've just not shown they can. However in Smith, Pathan and Mascarenhas they do have plenty of potential. We've got a bit of a clash here in styles but I'm very much a believer that Rajasthan's batting can improve and has to at some point while I'm not so sure Chennai's bowling will do. Another key in this match is Warne will know Matthew Hayden inside out and will deal with him accordingly. He's been Chennai's hot man and if he goes early the door could be open for the Royals. It's not with any real force but I'm going to back Rajasthan to win this match as I believe their style matches up better and they have enough in them to get the job done here.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Im currently -1.6 at this point. One for the late match: Chennai to beat Rajasthan 3/4 spo 10 pts I like the favs here. So far backing chennai in this event has been costly as far too often they have lost games from positions they could have done better in. However I still favour them here against last years champs who if not for pathan's hitting brilliance would have lost all their games so far. After winning the super over, their poor batting once again failed to chase down a lowish score against Punjab and then looked dead but for Pathan in the last game. However its still a line up short imo, the overseas Quinney has an average in 20 20 of under 15 and he is coming in the top 3/4. Smith battled hard last match but still doesnt look fluent yet and its not easy to ask pathan to always win it. Their bowling has held up so far but I still slightly worry if Hayden really took off against them today or for that matter Raina, Dhoni, Oram/Morkel. Chennai's batting seems strongish but their seam bowling has been too expensive so far, especially Morkel and Oram and they may put ntini in. However in Murali they have a real class act who could just relish this weak looking RR batting line up. I just cant see RR getting enough runs here even against a Chennai seam attack that has been mediocre of late. Chennai for me.

[Charlie Wong]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 anyone see Suresh Raina's 98 for Chennai this afternoon, the best 20/20 innings i've seen in a long time, came in under pressure and played some crazy shots.:eek Fair play to Dilshan for Delhi, saw them home nicely, he looks like the main man, not Sehwag or Gambhir.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 I knew I'd end up regretting backing Rajasthan :\. Back to +13.13 for the tournament now. I'm going with one tomorrow. It's the reverse of one I took last Friday. 3pts Bangalore to beat Kings XI Punjab 6/5 Bet365 These two played out a high scoring match in the reverse fixture and it took a special innings from Ravi Bopara to get Punjab home that night. They don't have that option up their sleeve in this match because Ravi's on the plane back to England. The same plane has Bangalore's early season captain, Kevin Pietersen on it. However in that 1st match Pietersen was out for a duck and bowled 2 overs for 16. So he didn't make a huge contribution. That 1st match seems to have sparked the Kings XI into life as they've gone on a winning run since then. A lot of it is down to Yusuf Abdullah's consistency with the ball. Simon Katich seems likely to be Bopara's replacement at the top of the order in what will probably be Kings XI's only change. Bangalore appear to have settled on Jacques Kallis as their skipper but that could yet still change. They have so many options with regards Pietersen's replacement and with the batting going ok without KP contributing too much, it could be Dale Steyn who replaces him. If not Steyn it will be Taylor or Ryder. Bangalore are inconsistent but when they get it all together they have the makings of a decent enough side. Kings XI took a while to get going but they have hit their straps now. However their bowling attack can still go round the park. This looks a close one to me but I think there's enough value in Bangalore to take them here.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Comfortable winner yesterday. Going for the two favs again today against what I consider to be along with RR the poorest teams in the event this year: Mumbai to beat Kolkata 4/6 sj 10 pts Same as monday for me in this. Mumbai will be disappointed to have lost a tight one to Punjab the other night but can bounce back here against a kolkata team who have the maverick buchanan in charge and who have only won one game and that was a shortened game that played right into their hands. Kolkata are hugely dependent on some of their 'stars' having huge games, Gayle (last game I believe although some reports have it he is already out), Mccullum maybe Ganguly and then Sharma or Mendis if he plays. Apart from them they look pretty ordinary and so far their stars havent really fired, especially some of the batting stars. Mumbai have a class opening pair as they showed on mon and if sanath and sachin are in similar mood, this game could be beyond kolkata early on. However after that its the bolwing which impresses me and the strength of it, Malinga (purple cap holder), Khan, Bravo and Singh. They can contain kolkata for me in this game and go on and win it and complete the midweek double over kolkata for mumbai. Punjab to beat Bangalore 8/11 skyb 10 pts I have changed from last fri with regards this match. Before last fri, punjab were a team with a couple of defeats in shortened games but as they have played in the longer games (if a 20 20 is a long game) they have found some of their form which saw them reach the final last year and have now won 3 straight. They miss last fri match winner bopara but katich is a possible replacement and along with the class trio of sangakarra, Singh and Jayawardene it gives a solid feel with regards batting, something bangalore dont have so far. Punjab's bowling earlier in the event seemed weak and was one of the main reasons I was against them last week but it has improved. Abdullah has found form as has Pathan and Chawla. In contrast to Punjab, Bangalore are a team who have been pretty poor in the IPL once again. They won their first game and their last but for me those two were against the two other weak sides in the comp. Their batting has been average at times in this event and also unsettled. No Kp today either but on batting they want miss him on what he has done. Where they could miss him is his bowling, so far he has bowled 13 overs for just 85 (6.5 an over) and taken 4 wickets. He filled the role of an extra fill in bowler quite well for them and I feel they might just need another bowler here. Steyn would be logical but they seem reluctant to play him with perhaps his comments of calling this event a holiday last year backfiring. That means a lot depends on Kumar and Kumble for me, with Kallis expensive so far and Merwe still unproven and too much so in truth. Punjab are on a roll atm and against an opponent who they have beaten 3/3 in the IPL, they are the pick.

[LtfcPete]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Woody, how come every time Kev posts a pick you have posted the other team, afterwards, 6/6 times? Surely this isn't a coincidence?!

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Nice winner on Friday at a decent price. +3.60 for the game and now +16.73 for the tournament. I'm going with 2 for Saturday, one in each match. 1pt ew R.Jadeja Top Rajasthan Batsman vs Deccan Chargers 6/1 Coral (1/5 1,2,3) Ravindra Jadeja has had 5 innings in this season's IPL and he's yet to finish outside the top 3 for the Royals. He's actually top scored or joint top scored on 3 of those occasions and only Yusuf Pathan has hit more runs for the Royals in this tournament. Jadeja isn't the big hitter that Pathan is, he plays a solid game but can score all round the wicket and when the time comes can then explode. He looks to have a solid technique and in a batting lineup that contains so many out of form batsmen I think Jadeja is a good ew bet here. 3pts Chennai to beat Delhi 6/5 Bet365 Chennai should really have won the 1st game between these two. They were seemingly cruising to victory and then their run chase hit the buffers in a big way. Delhi were indebted to a magnificent century from AB de Villiers in that match and as good as he you'd have to expect that won't happen again here. In the Delhi innings in that match, Andrew Flintoff went for 50 runs from his 4 overs. You'd have to think his replacement, Jacob Oram won't go for that many. Chennai come into this match off the back of a good win against Rajasthan last time out, a side who Delhi lost to earlier in the tournament. Delhi ended Deccan's winning run in their last match. Neither side is expected to make too many changes from their last match and which ever way you look at this it looks likely to be a high scoring game. There isn't a lot between either side so if Chennai can hold their nerve and Oram out performs Flintoff in the reverse fixture I think the Super Kings can win this one.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Currently +2.57 in this event after mumbai's win but a slightly frustrating punjab loss from a better position than last fri when I was against them. Still thats the way it goes although I must say Boucher got away with one when Sangakarra was 'bowled.' As for later I dont really fancy that much but that is because I dont really want to take that short a price for DC given their run has ended even though they are playing RR and in the other game it looks a bit tight for me and already on delhi anyway. However that judgement, along with any I make, is purely based on my thinking :eyes Might go for Punjab again on sun given Kolkata's awful form but will look at that nearer the time.

[Charlie Wong]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009

3pts Chennai to beat Delhi 6/5 Bet365 Chennai should really have won the 1st game between these two. They were seemingly cruising to victory and then their run chase hit the buffers in a big way. Delhi were indebted to a magnificent century from AB de Villiers in that match and as good as he you'd have to expect that won't happen again here. In the Delhi innings in that match, Andrew Flintoff went for 50 runs from his 4 overs. You'd have to think his replacement, Jacob Oram won't go for that many. Chennai come into this match off the back of a good win against Rajasthan last time out, a side who Delhi lost to earlier in the tournament. Delhi ended Deccan's winning run in their last match. Neither side is expected to make too many changes from their last match and which ever way you look at this it looks likely to be a high scoring game. There isn't a lot between either side so if Chennai can hold their nerve and Oram out performs Flintoff in the reverse fixture I think the Super Kings can win this one.

gl, i agree, Viru and Gambhir have'nt fired, and Chennai still look the value pick in an evenly balanced match.

[Crouch Potato]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Chennai to beat Dehli @ 1.95 Sportingbet No Sehwag, Warner comes in and Vettori makes way to free up an international slot. All this plays into the hands of Chennai and a odds of 1.95 I'm happy to be on. Haydos, Dhoni, Raina, Oram and Morkel provide a lot of batting strength whilst the spin of Murali could prove critical in contrast to Vettori's absence.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Punjab to beat Kolkata 8/11 boy 10 pts I said yesterday I will probably go with Punjab and alas I have. Kolkata are just a team I want to take one, they lie bottom, have a maverick in charge, all sorts of stories of player unrest in the changing and the only win they got was in a shortened game. Even when they look like they may get a win like against Mumbai the other day, they let Mumbai get too many late on and fail to chase down a target which was achievable with wickets in hand, even against an attack as strong as Mumbai. Punjab let a winning position last in their last game too. They looked in control but singh got out, then katich was run and the Sri Lankan duo couldn’t quiet fire enough to get the home with a little help from Boucher’s gloves. However I still prefer their batting line up to Kolkata’s who have hodge and maybe ganguly in form but not really that much else. Punjab have certainly improved with the ball and in Abdullah have found someone who may at times be expensive but can take big wickets. Punjab for me.

[Charlie Wong]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 Punjab made a bit of a mess of their last match where they should have won, after the skipper got a hattrick and scored 50 with the bat. Yuvraj's coming to form is fantastic, as the bowlers , are doing the business, Kolkata despite winning by d/l last time round against Punjab are very average, McCullum has been very poor. Punjab win @ 8/11 Mumbai Indians should have too much class for Bangalore, Mumbai have a cracking opening pair in Jaya/Sachin with Duminy also in good form, Bangalore look vunerable without Dravid in the line-up, Malinga, Zaheer and Harbajhan will be a big threat, Mumbai win @ 4/7 Doing the double as well.:ok

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: Indian Premier League 2009 +1.6pts for me on Saturday with Chennai winning and Jadeja not coming anywhere so I'm up to +18.33 going into Monday where I'll stick with the Super Kings. 3pts Chennai to beat Deccan Chargers 5/6 Stan James Chennai come into this match off the back of a couple of wins over Delhi and Bangalore and should be confident ahead of this match. Deccan meanwhile are going the other way. They won their 1st 4 matches but have lost twice since and the loss to Rajasthan could have sent a few alarm bells ringing. Since Andrew Flintoff left the Chennai side they've been playing some good cricket. They'll always score runs and it's no coincidence that the two top runscorers in the tournament are Chennai players. Matthew Hayden and Suresh Raina are having excellent tournaments and the Super Kings know that at some point the likes of Dhoni, Oram and Morkel will go mental with the bat. Their bowling attack is weak, a point recognised by Dhoni but at least Murali is keeping things tight while Oram is another who can be tough to get away. Deccan have relied a lot on their openers in this tournament so far with the odd cameo from Rohit Sharma. To be fair, in the main they've scored plenty of runs and have won games because of a tight bowling attack which was spearheaded by Fidel Edwards who is now in England with the West Indies. Pragyan Ojha and RP Singh are among the top wicket takers in the tournament. This should be a high quality game. A lot could depend on who replaces Edwards for Deccan. That could be Chaminda Vaas. Another factor will be Matthew Hayden for Chennai. He could have the Deccan attack going all round the park if he gets going and that would play right into Chennai's hands. When all is said and done though, you've got to score runs to win matches and I'm more confident Chennai will get enough runs and I'll take them to win a good game.