Richard Mann previews Sunday's double-header from the IPL, with three bets in his staking plan to consider.
Cricket betting tips: IPL
1pt Dhruv Jurel top Rajasthan Royals batsman at 9/1 (BetVictor)
1pt Both teams to score 180+ runs in Delhi Capitals/Gujarat Titans match at 7/5 (Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)
1pt Both teams to score 190+ runs in Delhi Capitals/Gujarat Titans match at 11/4 (Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)
Rajasthan Royals v Punjab Kings
- When: 11:00, Sunday
- Where: Jaipur
- How to watch: Sky Sports Cricket
Sunday’s first offering from the IPL sees Rajasthan Royals host Punjab Kings at 11am, UK time.
The Royals have had their moments this season, including when chasing down 212 against Gujarat Titans in only 15.2 overs, but those moments have been fleeting, with three wins from 12 matches putting them in line for the wooden spoon.
The big issue has been the Royals batting, hurt badly by the departure of Jos Buttler and then injures to Sanju Samson. Furthermore, the retention of Shimron Hetmyer at the latest auction must be one of the worst bits of business in the history of the IPL.
That flaky Royals batting line-up opens up opportunities for a bet, though, with Jofra Archer top scoring with 30 at a huge price when they were rolled out cheaply by Mumbai Indians in their last match before the break.
I’ve been stung by DHRUV JUREL on a couple of occasions now, but remain convinced the Royals middle and lower order is worth chancing.
If we can get opener Yashasvi Jaiswal beat – and he comes up against a very good new-ball attack here – we could be in business.
Shubman Dubey was considered at 16/1, but I just can’t ignore Jurel at 9/1.
A classy operator who has already impressed in international cricket, I reckon we’ll see a good but more of Jurel in whites for India following the recent retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
That’s for another day, but Jurel kicked off this season with a brilliant 70 against Sunrisers Hyderabad and then made 47 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru just a few games ago.
He hasn’t been particularly consistent, but he’s not alone in that, and I’ll take one more swing on him in the top Royals batsman market.
Delhi Capitals v Gujarat Titans
- When: 15:00, Sunday
- Where: Delhi
- How to watch: Sky Sports Cricket
At 3pm, UK time, Delhi Capitals welcome high-flying Gujarat Titans.
These are two franchises for whom the halting of the competition, and what will now be a later finish, isn’t ideal.
For the Titans, Jos Buttler is back, but only for the remainder of the league stage, meaning a side heavily reliant on their top three to score the bulk of their runs suddenly looks light.
That doesn’t affect this game, but the Capitals have lost strike bowler Mitchell Starc for the rest of the season – a big blow given how well he has performed with the new ball and at the death.
The other fascinating element to this fixture is working out just how the pitch in Delhi will play.
Historically, Delhi has always been one of the better grounds for runs in the IPL, but spin has been a factor this season and there were a few worrying signs when the Capitals were restricted to 162 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
However, normal serviced was resumed when 394 runs were scored in the latest match here against Kolkata Knight Riders, and my suspicion is another good surface will be served up.
The break has given ground staff a bit more time to work on those squares as well, and with the Capitals missing pace spearhead Starc, and this Titans attack going the distance on occasions this season, another high-scoring affair could be in the offing.
When these two teams met in Ahmedabad earlier in the season, 407 runs where scored in the match as the Titans won by seven wickets.
As such BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE 180+ RUNS (7/5) and BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE 190+ RUNS (11/4) look to represent solid wagers.
Preview published at 1330 BST on 16/05/25
Related links
- Paul Krishnamurty's IPL guide to the grounds
- Click here for Sky Bet's cricket odds
- Latest Cricket...Only Bettor Podcast
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