Richard Mann has a couple of big-priced fancies in the Man of the Match market when Kolkata Knight Riders take on Punjab Kings in the IPL on Saturday.
Cricket betting tips: IPL
1pt Varun Chakravarthy Man of the Match at 13/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)
1pt Yuzi Chahal Man of the Match at 15/1 (BetVictor)
Eden Gardens has long been one of the best grounds for runs in the IPL, but as the season draws on and we see more reused surfaces, it stands to reason that those pitches will get tired, and spin more.
In Monday’s match here, Lucknow Super Giants still scored 198-3 batting first, but Kolkata Knight Riders could only muster 159-8 in reply.
LSG’s spinners proved particularly effective, and given KKR have the likes of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy in their bowling attack, they really should have no problems if conditions do continue to deteriorate.
KKR host Punjab Kings on Saturday, 3pm, UK time, and both batting line-ups are at their best when able to blast away on flat pitches. Conditions might not be to their liking for this one.
Only last Sunday, Punjab were derailed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s spinners on a two-paced pitch at Mullanpur.
KKR have been like that all season, going big with the bat one week and then crashing spectacularly the next, and it was only a few games back that these two sides met and played out a low-scoring thriller.
Punjab somehow defended 111 on that occasion as spin dominated throughout.
As such, any runs bets make little appeal, even on this ground, and both teams to score 200+ runs is only 7/2 with Sky Bet. I just don’t see enough upside to get involved.
Instead, I’ll take a chance on a couple of spinners in the Man of the Market, starting with VARUN CHAKRAVARTHY at 13/1.
The sixth over of the Powerplay is arguably the toughest to bowl in the innings.
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) April 21, 2025
In #IPL history, only 14 spinners have done it ten or more times.
Of that group, Varun Chakravarthy has the lowest economy rate (6.4rpo) - no wonder he's been trusted to bowl it 22 times.#KKRvGT
The KKR man won this market on his home ground twice towards the end of the last season, when conditions started to deteriorate, and his stock has really risen in the last 12 months.
The mystery spinner has enjoyed an excellent start to this year’s campaign, too, and claimed figures of 2-21 against this opposition in Mullanpur recently.
He should bowl well again, as should YUZI CHAHAL, who has seven wickets in his last three matches, including four against KKR in that memorable match between those two teams mentioned above.
A fine wrist-spinner and a genuine wicket-taker, Chahal looks worth another go at 15/1.
Preview published at 1110 BST on 25/04/25
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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