Cricket betting tips: IPL – Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bengaluru preview and best bets

Cricket betting tips: Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bengaluru

2pts Rajasthan Royals to beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru at 3/4 (Betway)

1pt Glenn Maxwell top Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowler at 13/2 (Star Sports)

The market doesn’t appear to have been paying attention when it comes to Saturday’s action in the IPL, with RAJASTHAN ROYALS rating a good bet to beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The Royals are a perfect three from three so far this season, Trent Boult and Yuzvendra Chahal leading from the front with the ball in a bowling attack that might just be the best in the competition.

The batting has done its job, too, that without any significant contributions from gun opening pair Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal. When that happens, this has the makings of a very good side.

The cautious among us would point to the fact that the Royals started brilliantly last year before imploding badly and not even qualifying for the playoffs.

Nevertheless, I don’t see their good run stopping just yet, not against an RCB team that has lost three of their first four matches this term and continue to be plagued by problems of old.

As ever, the bowling lacks depth and variety, down in the main to the fact that so much of the player budget has been spent on big-name batsmen who just aren’t scoring quickly or big enough.

Virat Kohli has started well, for all a strike-rate of 140.97 has still drawn some criticism. Perhaps that’s fair when considering that he has just played three matches in a row on a traditionally flat pitch at home.

Things are likely to be much tougher in Jaipur on Saturday and they really need more from overseas stars Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell, though both did make fifties in a winning cause on this ground last year.

The Royals were in a bad place back then and renew hostilities full of confidence, facing a team with many concerns, particularly in regard to the bowling.

With plenty of 8/11 available, and 3/4 in a place (Betway), the Royals want backing.

CLICK HERE to back Rajasthan Royals with Sky Bet

Those issues with the ball aren’t going to go away for RCB anytime soon, meaning the aforementioned GLENN MAXWELL’s off spin will again be important.

The Australian is RCB’s leading wicket-taker so far this season, despite for some reason not even bowling in their penultimate defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders.

Either side of that, he picked up two wickets in each game, earning a two-way tie on the first occasion and then winning the top RCB bowler market last time.

Jaipur tends to spin so Maxwell can expect to get through something close to his full quota, and I’m left scratching my head as to why he’s been chalked up at 13/2 in a place (Star Sports). That’s too big to let go, as is the 6/1 with William Hill.

Both firms settle with dead-heat rules, so we'll go with that given that would have paid a return on Maxwell in two of RCB's four matches this term.

Preview published at 1650 BST on 04/04/24

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