The 11th game of this season’s Indian Premier League will be played between Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The game will be played on Thursday and will be hosted by the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad.
Deccan v Bangalore odds:
The Chargers (6/4 at
SkyBet) have won nothing in the tournament so far, losing two in a row so far. The first loss to Rajasthan was a result of some poor batting first, followed by a defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders when they failed to chase down a stiff target. Now, they will play at home, where they have never won a game since 2008, a remarkable record.
Bangalore (4/7 at
BetFred) started off well when they won a close one against the Kochi Tuskers Kerala but Mumbai Indians wasted no time in disposing them off in the second match. The Royal Challengers may need to make some changes to their side to beef up their bowling, after Dirk Nannes had injured himself in the game and Asad Pathan was carted all around.
Ground and Pitch:
Hyderabad saw much green on the track in the first game played here between Deccan and Rajasthan. What the Chargers will want is for the pitch to afford some more turn to the bowlers because of the kind of bowling line-up that they have.
Player News:
The Chargers may look around for some Indian batsmen but for now, their foreign duo of Kumar Sangakkara (7/2 at
Stan James) and JP Duminy (5/1 at
BetFred) will be the ones who need to get the runs. One also felt that they need to bat at the numbers three and four respectively and not lower, given that there is always Daniel Christian (8/1 at
Stan James) who can get the big hits later.
Bharat Chipli (6/1 at
Coral) had top-scored for the side in the previous game but neither was he quick enough and nor would have his running between the wickets endeared him to his team-mates. If he has to continue playing the role that he did in the previous game, it will need the others to bat around him – a distinct change in tactic.
Bangalore have vested a lot of faith in Tillakaratne Dilshan (7/2 at
SkyBet) at the top of the order but despite his 50, he has yet to look like being a part. What Bangalore will need from him will be an uninhibited cameo to start off before he can take up the responsibility of batting through the innings. The one player who has yet to come good in the tournament is Virat Kohli (4/1 at
BetFred), the only one to have been retained by the Royal Challengers Bangalore before this year’s auction. If he can get going, there may not be any stopping him or the Bangalore side.
Prediction:
Trust Daniel Vettori (10/3 at
Stan James) will be the most economical bowler in the game.
