​Sam Curran has been impressive in the ongoing County season © Getty
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Sam Curran earned his maiden call-up to the England Test squad, drafted in for the upcoming Leeds Test as cover for Ben Stokes, who is suffering from a tight left hamstring.

Stokes picked up the injury while fielding during a training session on Wednesday (May 30) and did not bowl thereafter. England will assess his injury on Thursday morning. Cricket Betting Tips Free There is a possibility that Stokes could play as a specialist batsmen.

Curran, the Surrey left-arm seamer, was included in the ICC World XI squad for the game against Windies on Thursday. Cricket Betting Tips However, he will no longer be available for that game as he is set to arrive in Leeds tonight and will train at Headingley tomorrow.

The 19-year-old has been impressive in the ongoing County season and is the leading wicket-taker for his side. He has picked up 18 wickets in four games at an average of 19.55, including a match-winning haul of 10 for 101 against Yorkshire at The Oval in his previous first-class appearance.

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​Preview by www.cricketbettingtipsfree.net

Rajasthan Royals land in Kolkata on the back of three consecutive, dominating and extremely impressive wins. Their run has meant they've surged to the fifth spot just behind Kolkata Knight Riders, their opponents on Tuesday (May 14), and look good for a late surge into the Top 4.

Both KKR and RR will walk into the contest with similar objectives. Cricket Betting Tips The luxury to drop points is now gone and a slip could well prove fatal at the stage this tournament is right now. Both teams, despite their resounding win in the previous encounter, have plenty of issues and are far from polished products heading into the business end of IPL 2018.

RR have done well to give the teams in the top half a major scare. While Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings have qualified for the playoffs, Ajinkya Rahane and his batch of 2018 have left KKR, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab sweating. But all three wins have come on the back of Jos Buttler. Cricket Tips The opener has bailed the team out and managed to push it over the line single-handedly with very little contributions from the other batsmen.

Misfiring Ben Stokes and the fact that Sanju Samson has lost a bit of form should worry the think-tank. The fact that Rahane too hasn't played an innings of substance in the last five games shows there's a major weakness - one that KKR will look to target. Jos Buttler threat looms large and the first thing KKR will aim to do is get rid of him. If they can't, the focus will shift to minimising the damage and squeezing other batsmen. Free Betting Tips  KKR can take heart from Buttler's good run as well.

KKR have lacked the consistency but have done well to bounce back from desperate situations. After the thrashing by MI, they did well to cruise past KXIP in Indore. Cricket Betting Tips Free With a win behind them, it's crucial that they find a way to sustain the momentum. That, however, is easier said than done. RR, with the kind of form they are in, are more than capable of hurting KKR's bouncebackability.

Both teams held an optional practice session on the eve of the game but most from KKR's first XI turned up to show they mean business. KKR play their last game in Hyderabad against ominous looking SRH. Cricket Tips Free RR head back home to play against fearless RCB. Both teams are desperate to not leave it for too late. That being said, one team, will certainly leave Kolkata hurting a lot more.

When: Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Where: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

What to expect: There has been plenty of rain in the city leading up to the game but things remained clear on the eve of the clash. There's rain forecast on match day as well.

Team news

Kolkata Knight Riders: Shivam Mavi continues to struggle with the finger injury he picked up in the game against CSK. Though he bowled in the nets, Jacques Kallis, the coach, confirmed they are going to make a last minute call on his availability. Online Cricket Betting If he does get fit, KKR will have to deal with another headache given Prasidh Krishna's impressive performance with the ball in Indore where batsmen dominated the game. With pace and bounce in the pitch, KKR might just move away from their strategy of playing three spinners - meaning one of Kuldeep Yadav or Piyush Chawla might have to sit out

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​Most of the teams would love to be in Chennai Super Kings' shoes. 14 points in 11 games is a healthy position to be in, also giving them a chance to finish in the top two. Cricket Betting Tips But the Super Kings will be concerned by their recent form. After beginning the season in cracking fashion, they have lost three games out of their last five and more often than not, it's the bowling that has let them down.

They have tried different things to settle on a trustworthy combination. Lungi Ngidi was drafted into the XI, Karn Sharma had replaced Imran Tahir, David Willey was finally given a go, Shardul Thakur was recalled and yet, consistency in performances has been missing. Cricket Betting Tips Free Despite managing to keep most of the batsmen quiet in their previous clash against Rajasthan Royals, they couldn't find an answer against Jos Buttler, who single-handedly guided RR home. Batting-wise, they have tinkered around a bit, which is quite unusual for a side that plays under MS Dhoni but they will look to find their settled order finally with three matches left in their campaign in the league stage.

Now they run into a side that just effortlessly chased down 188 losing a solitary wicket in their last game. A lot has been said about Sunrisers Hyderabad's ability to literally defend any target but slowly, they are also showcasing their prowess as a batting unit as well. Cricket Tips Shikhar Dhawan, who had a lull period in the middle after hurting his hand, is back among the runs and with the calm and composed skipper Kane Williamson being consistent, SRH's top order seems to be in a good space.

Having already secured their playoff spot, they are riding high by ticking most of the boxes. If their middle-order, starting from the out-of-form Manish Pandey can hit their strides, SRH will appear unstoppable on all fronts. Match Tips There will also be minor concerns surrounding Bhuvneshwar Kumar who hasn't been at his best in an injury-marred season but the management will back their star bowler to turn things around.

When: May 13, 2018, 04:00 PM IST

Where: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

What to expect: The last time a game was played here at 4 PM, the spinners had a field day with Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan Singh spinning a web around Royal Challengers Bangalore. Free Betting Tips If the surface continues to aid slow turn, the likes of Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan will also come into the equation. Warm temperatures in the late thirties are expected to greet both teams.

Team news:

Chennai Super Kings

It will be interesting to see if CSK decide to give Sam Billings another outing or bring back Lungi Ngidi. They also have the option of pushing Ambati Rayudu down the order by recalling Faf du Plessis.

Predicted XI: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Sam Billings, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Coach Tom Moody has made it clear that his side are not willing to make a lot of changes to their playing XI in order to experiment. Wriddhiman Saha is still recovering from soreness on his shoulder and hence will be unavailable which will give Shreevats Goswami another opportunity to make a mark.

Predicted XI: Alex Hales, Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Shreevats Goswami (wk), Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma

What they said:

"To be honest it has not been a surprise to us. Kane has been a good T20 player for a number of years. Cricket Betting Tips Free I think it is really an opportunity for people watching to see the versatility in Kane Williamson. He has got a T20 hundred, I think about fours years ago in the Champions League. It is no surprise to us that Kane has the ability to adapt from Test cricket to 50-over cricket down to T20 cricket." - SRH coach Tom Moody on skipper Williamson's adaptability

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​ABOUT THE MATCH
The teams placed at the bottom of the table are finally winning some matches and that is sure to make for an intriguing finish to this season. One of the teams that has absolutely no more room for any error is the Mumbai Indians. Cricket Betting Tips Free Just three wins from their nine matches has put them in a position from where they need to every one of their remaining matches. It sounds difficult but it has been done before. Winning at home was something that the Mumbai Indians took for granted in previous years and that is exactly what they will need to do again to stand a chance of qualifying.

Their opponents for this match are the Kolkata Knight Riders, a team that is sitting comfortably in the top half of the table. KKR has really started to peak at the right time and could be a potential finalist if things go their way. Cricket Betting Tips They have the players to travel to Mumbai and beat the Mumbai Indians but know that the challenge cannot be underestimated.

​MATCH PREVIEW
​
MUMBAI INDIANS
Rohit Sharma and his team won their last match and are going to be coming into this contest full of confidence. Free Betting Tips They overcame a strong CSK team and seemed to have to got their playing combination just right. Their tactics in the match, though, left a lot to be desired and we have a feeling these will be shown up sooner rather than later.

It is beyond our understanding how players of the calibre of Rohit Sharma and JP Duminy can be shunted down to number 5 and number 7 position respectively. Cricket Tips Free The idea might be to add some depth to the batting and have experienced players in the dugout to help navigate the chase but it just means that the best players play next to no role in most of the matches.

This cannot be the way that the Mumbai Indians try to win all their remaining matches. Mohit Sharma must move up the number three and be followed by JP Duminy at 4. Cbtf Betting Tips This still leaves the Panda brothers, Ishan Kishan, and Ben Cutting to follow in case some early wickets fall.

Surely the team has enough confidence in this stacked batting lineup to be able to play their way out of any situation. Cricket Tips If all of these players are not going be enough then reshuffling the batting order is not going to do them any good.

Mumbai is a venue where teams can find it very tough to know how many runs are enough batting first. If the Mumbai Indians end up having to bat first against KKR then they must ensure that they leave nothing in the bank and score as many runs as possible.

Mumbai’s bowling has plenty of variety and depth in it as well. The form of Jasprit Bumrah is a plus and Mayank Markande has shown himself to be a very capable spinner as well. Mitchell McClenaghan, Ben Cutting, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, and JP Duminy are all capable of bowling their overs of required.

Perhaps the biggest problem for Rohit Sharma will be to ensure he is giving adequate opportunities to each bowler.

​KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
KKR played a near flawless match against CSK to chase down a stiff target with plenty of overs to spare. Mitchell Johnson had a tough game for KKR and might be replaced by Tom Curran but we would stick with the old warhorse for this match.

Mitchell Johnson has a lot of experience playing in Mumbai and can utilize the extra bounce that the pitch offers. He would love to come back to his old franchise and leave a mark but whether he gets an opportunity to do so remains to be seen.

Apart from Johnson, though, all the other KKR players had a night to remember. KKR’s bowling attack is going to be severely tested on a flat Mumbai wicket. Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, and Kuldeep Yadav could all travel at this ground and so the onus has to be on the senior bowlers for this match.

Sunil Narine and Andre Russell are the two bowlers that we think could be the toughest for the Mumbai Indians to face. Cricket Betting Tips Narine has been having a good IPL and showed that he can still put the brake on the scoring very effectively in the last match.

Andre Russell has the ability to generate excellent pace and utilizes the short ball well. It can backfire on an off day but could also bring some wickets if he has a little luck.

If KKR can gets its bowling to fire then we have no doubt that their batsmen will be able to match Mumbai’s batting strength. Chris Lynn is our guy to watch for this match.

He is coming into this match in good form and likes the ball coming on to the bat. McClenaghan, Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya might be the perfect pace for him to tee off but he will most likely be faced with spin early on.

Robin Uthappa, Shuibman Gill, Dinesh Karthik, and Andre Russell all make for a fearsome batting lineup. Gill’s promotion to number four was very good and allowed the youngster to play his normal game.

We would ideally have Gill open the inning with Lynn but the team management seems content to let Narine go up the order and swig his bat around.

KKR will be aware that playing Mumbai at their home ground is not easy, especially now that the Mumbai Indians have no option but to come hard at them. Cricket Betting Tips Free They do have the ammunition to withstand the onslaught, though.

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​ABOUT THE MATCH
The Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai Indians have both had a poor IPL season this year and find themselves in a position where they cannot afford to lose more than a couple of matches. Cricket Betting Tips Free Fans of both teams will know that their teams have been here in the past and been able to turn things around but it is obviously not going to happen every single time.

RCB lost its last match against KKR and continued to struggle in the bowling and fielding department while Mumbai Indians recorded a very impressive victory against the Chennai Super Kings and will come into this match full of confidence.

One thing is certain, though. Cricket Betting Tips The tournament is going to be all but over for one team after this match has been completed.

​MATCH PREVIEW
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE
A struggling RCB unit was forced to take the field without AB de Villiers in their last match and Virat Kohli would be desperate to have his best player back for this next match. Free Betting Tips Brendon McCullum made a comeback into the eleven but did not have too much of an impact.

It is difficult for a player like Brendon McCullum to be expected to perform after being on the bench for so long but that is the format of this tournament. Cricket Tips Now, with de Villiers hopefully making a comeback, McCullum might just find himself out of the team once again.

The surface in Bengaluru has not been the kind that Virat Kohli would prefer but that is something out of his control.

At the moment, it appears that ensuring Kohli and de Villiers play the maximum amount of deliveries in every match is the only way that RCB will find itself in a position to push for a win. Cbtf Betting Tips The role of Quinton de Kock at the top of the order is also something that will come under scrutiny. He has now spent a lot of time in the middle but is not being able to get the blazing starts that he is so famous for.

Maybe picking McCullum over Colin de Grandhomme could also be an option since going hard in the latter overs is currently seeming very difficult.

To be honest, though, the batting is not a concern for RCB at the moment. Online Cricket Betting Virat Kohli said that he thought his team was 10 runs over par in the last match and then failed to defend it once again.

RCB is being let down by its bowling in every single match and that is a problem to which they have no easy answers. Cricket Baazigar Tim Southee has been expensive, Umesh Yadav veers from being sublime to the ridiculous, and Mohammad Siraj clearly has a long way to go before being considered the finished article.

Only Yuzvendra Chahal has been consistent. On a surface where appreciable spin is fast becoming a characteristic, not having two or even three world quality spinners is appearing to be a major strategic error that RCB is paying for.

RCB will need its bowlers to step up against a power Mumbai Indians lineup otherwise their matches will continue to follow the same path in most matches.

​MUMBAI INDIANS
Two massive innings from Rohit Sharma has equated to two victories for the Mumbai Indians so far. Is that a coincidence? We don’t think so.

The Mumbai Indians got a lot of things right in their last match and we think they may have finally hit on their best playing eleven and batting order.

Evin Lewis and Suryakumar Yadav have earned a prolonged run at the top of the order. Match Betting Tips They have both scored plenty of runs and have excellent strike rates. The move to push Rohit Sharma to 3, though, is a very good decision.

Rohit Sharma has the rare talent to score big runs in all formats of the game but needs a little bit of time to settle down. Session Betting Tips By coming in at 3, not only will Rohit Sharma give himself the time but he will also be able to control the pace of the inning after getting set.

Equally importantly, Mumbai Indians finally dropped Kieron Pollard from the team and got in JP Duminy. The South African is in excellent form, can bat anywhere in the lineup and is also a handy off-spinner.

If the pitch in Bangalore takes turn as it has been then Duminy becomes a very important player in the bowling unit as well.

The other major change that Mumbai Indians made was to drop Mustafizur Rahman in favor of Ben Cutting. Lambi Pari Tips We are huge fans of Cutting and believes he is an extremely underrated lower order hitter. His bowling has not been as good as he would like it to be but that could change going forward.

His selection for the match in Bengaluru is far from certain, though. Mustafizur Rahman and his unique brand of fast cutters and slower deliveries could be very difficult to hit at the Chinnaswamy and so we don’t think playing him would be a mistake.

Mumbai Indians were one of the pre-tournament favorites because of their seemingly perfectly balanced team. Cricket Betting Tips They now seem to have figured out the right mix of players to bank on going forward and we are definitely backing their fortunes to improve dramatically in this edition of the IPL.

One of the head to head contests that we will be watching out for will be Krunal Pandya against AB de Villiers. The elder Pandya sibling has dismissed de Villiers in every match that he has had the opportunity to bowl at him.

De Villiers will know this and come hard at him.  Cricket Betting Tips Free This could be one of the key events that determine the outcome of the match.

Also, young Mayank Markande from Mumbai has been having an excellent IPL so far. How he goes on a helpful wicket with small boundaries with a senior Indian spinner in the opposition will also be very interesting to watch

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​ABOUT THE MATCH
The IPL table is extremely packed right now and every team is just a couple of matches away from making a move towards the top. Cricket Betting Tips This is exactly what RCB fans would be hoping for as their team continues to find ways to lose from strong positions. Their opponent in this match is a KKR unit that has hit a stumbling block after a good start to the tournament. Losses to the Kings XI Punjab, when the rain did not do them any favors, and the Delhi Daredevils, where they put in a poor performance has left them in a position from where they could slide down the table very quickly.

Every match is important at this stage in the IPL and this one is no different. Free Cricket Betting Tips The team that handles the pressure better will come out tops.

​MATCH PREVIEW
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE
The Royal Challengers Bangalore team would have been devastated at losing their last match after scoring over 200 runs. Free Cricket Tips It is, unfortunately, a story which has repeated itself this season as RCB is still struggling to put together a good bowling unit.

Runs from Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, and Mandeep Singh are a positive sign moving forward. Even Virat Kohli got a good start and it just looks like a matter of time before he gets into the act as well.

What is the solution to their bowling woes, though?

Apart from Yuzvendra Chahal and Umesh Yadav, no other bowler has looked like being a threat to the opposition.Match Tips Free Even containing runs seems like an uphill task for Corey Anderson, Pawan Negi, and Mohammad Siraj.

Washington Sundar had an off-day but there is plenty to suggest that his all-around skills could be better utilized by his team. Some amount of blame for RCb’s poor predicament has to go the captaincy of Virat Kohli as well.

He has made poor choices and has persisted with bowlers that are being carted around instead of giving someone else a chance. Colin de Grandhomme was a spectator in the last match even though he is a more than handy international level bowler. Online Cricket Betting Surely an over to give him a try was worth it when everyone else seemed to be traveling the distance.

The obsession with Pawan Negi also is just not understandable to us at the moment. Neither his batting nor his bowling looks to be the caliber worthy of this competition. Cricket Free Betting Tips RCB must look at its bench strength and find some way to put up a better-balanced bowling attack.

Thankfully for the fans, the RCB batting is a treat to watch at the moment. AB de Villiers is in phenomenal form and playing some truly outrageous shots. Cbtf Betting If there was one criticism of him then that would be to ask for even longer innings with bigger runs.

It looks clear that RCB must find a way for its batsmen to compensate for its bowling. Maybe chasing is the way to go in future matches but then the toss is not always a certainty either. Cricket Baazigar Luckily, RCB’s batting might will be up against a bowling attack that will be low on confidence after the mauling they received in Delhi.

​KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
Some very clear weaknesses seem to be emerging in the KKR setup and every team around the league would have taken note. IPL Betting Tips KKR’s biggest weapon this season was supposed to be Chris Lynn. The six hitting machine has been very subdued and found it difficult to get going on slower Indian pitches as compared to the ones he gets back home in Australia.

His best chance of success would be on a flat Chinnaswamy wicket on a stadium with small boundaries and the worst bowling attack in this edition of the IPL.

Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, and Andre Russell form a very dangerous middle order for KKR. Online Betting On IPL In fact, Russells form with the bat has been so good that he is able to compensate for a lot of the other player's shortcomings.

We cannot understand why KKR insists on opening with Sunil Narine. He is a flash in the pan and has now been found out by opposition teams. Instead, they have a class player in Shubman Gill who could very well open the inning and possibly do a better job than Narine.

Backing youngsters is something that KKR did in the auction but they are unable to give them the opportunities when it comes to the match. Cricket Betting Tips Free KKR’s bowling attack is pretty spin heavy and they would be hoping that the pitch in Bangalore plays similar to what it did in the last match.

There was plenty of spin on offer in that match and it was the medium pacers that traveled. With Piyush Chawla, Sunil Narine, and Kuldeep Yadav in their playing eleven, KKR could give RCB a tough time.

The biggest test for the spinners will be to cope with AB de Villiers and his variety of sweeps that he seems to play with the utmost ease.

KKR has hit a stumbling block in their campaign and a loss to RCB could be very expensive for them in the latter stages of the tournament. Cricket Betting Tips They do, however, have the players to be able to turn this around pretty quickly.

We would make a few changes to the batting order, give Andre Russell some more time in the middle, and hope that Chris Lynn plays one of those innings that he is so famous for. Everything else will fall into place by itself.

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​ABOUT THE MATCH
Another year. Another set of players, yet Rajasthan Royals are progressing very much like they are known to be. After almost half of the IPL done, Rajasthan Royals are hanging in the middle of the points table. Cricket Betting Tips Free The players of little or no International experience like K Gowtham and Jofra Archer have found success which is a lot similar to RR of the past. Another team which has carried its culture from previous seasons is Sunrisers Hyderabad. SRH have been known for their superb bowling capable of defending any totals. In this season too, where defending has been next to impossible, we have witnessed SRH defend the small totals twice. Sunrisers Hyderabad will now move to Jaipur where Rajasthan Royals are to host the 27th match of the season to be played on 29th April 2017. Cricket Betting Tips This match carries a lot of importance for both the teams and a just like most of this IPL has been, a thrilling contest is certainly on the cards.

​MATCH PREVIEW
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
This IPL has been the closest IPL in the history of the tournament and Rajasthan Royals shocked Mumbai Indians in their last match in a topsy-turvy game. Cricket Tips Free The double Rs are coming after a long break of almost a week and that should help them start afresh. The Royals still haven't found a combination at the top of the order with D'Arcy Short, Heinrich Klassen, and Rahul Tripathi all struggling for form.

Rahul Tripathi opened the innings in the previous match, but he failed to convert his start to a considerable knock and Klassen edged one to the slip and departed without troubling the scorers. Although Ben Stokes played a useful 40-run hand, it would be fair to say that his consistency hasn't been on par with what he's been capable of. Free Betting Tips Sanju Samson has been the pick of their batsmen and he scored 52 runs from 39 deliveries. He's moved out of the top five scorers of the tournament, but another good knock will place him right at the top again. He is just 44 runs shy of Ambati Rayudu's tally of 283.

Prior to their previous game, their bowling department was leaking too many runs during the death overs. Such could be the impact of one man that the arrival of Jofra Archer into the playing eleven plugged the flow of runs and picked up three crucial wickets. Cbtf Cricket Tips Shreyas Gopal has been excellent during the middle overs. Kulkarni impressed in the last game with his accurate bowling, but Stokes and Unadkat failed to make any remarkable contribution with the ball.

The Royals have had struggled to find a good batting combination and we might just see D'Arcy Short coming back into the playing eleven. Cbtf Their bowling looks a lot balanced with Jofra Archer in the mix. While they have a strong and balanced team, some poor decision making has cost them a couple of matches. They have a strong on top and if they can sort their issues at the top, they can make things difficult for any team in the tournament.

​SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
We are halfway into the tournament and Sunrisers Hyderabad are sitting pretty in the top half of the points table. Cricket Baazigar While it was expected considering the balance their team has, the void created by David Warner's absence is filled not by any of their batsmen, but by their bowlers. While their batsmen have failed to fire, their bowlers have covered it better than anyone expected and that too despite Bhuvneshwar missing two matches.

Their batsmen have scored at an average of 7.66 an over, which is worst for any team in this season. On the other hand, their bowlers have conceded just 7.17 runs an over, which is the best in this IPL. Match Betting Tips Their batting hasn't even been remotely close to what it was last year and with Dhawan struggling to find form after injury, they might well bring Hales in for Nabi.

Whether it's been about marshaling the troops or about taking the responsibility with the bat, Kane Williamson has done brilliantly. Williamson is third in batting charts of this season. Bowlers have responded brilliantly to him with Sidharth Kaul and Rashid Sharma being the top two wicket-takers of the tournament. Cricket Betting Tips Free Remarkably, Basil Thampi and Sandeep Sharma are the leading the best economy rate chart. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is expected to walk back into the team and it would be interesting to see who among Thampi and Sharma makes way for him.

Powerplay batting has been a cause of concern for the Sunrisers as they've scored at a run rate of 7.79 runs per over with the only RR behind them. Cricket Betting Tips The latter has scored at the rate of 7.69 runs an over. They may strengthen their batting by bringing in Alex Hales and considering the way their bowlers have bowled so far, Sunrisers will be a force to reckon with in the upcoming matches as well.

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​ABOUT THE MATCH
Is there a team that has played in more heart-stopping matches than the Chennai Super Kings? Not in this edition of the IPL for sure! CSK managed to pull off another last over heist against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last match and will now face up to the Mumbai Indians. Cricket Betting Tips Free Of course, Mumbai Indians will come in a close second when it comes to playing nail-biters in this season. Unfortunately for the Mumbai Indians, they always seem to come out second best in such encounters. Free Cricket Betting Tips Can Mumbai finally recover from the prolonged slump that is haunting them and manage to one-up Chennai? Or will CSK continue its winning habit?

​MATCH PREVIEW
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
It is unfortunate that the most passionate fans in this league will not get to watch their team play at home but this is how things pan out in Indian cricket. Cbtf Betting Tips CSK has shifted to Pune for this season and will play all its home matches there.

On the evidence of the first match that they played there, though, the Chennai Super Kings has acclimatized quite well. Cricket Tips Free The pitch at Pune turned out to be an absolute belter and CSK’s strong batting lineup made merry.

It is this strong batting lineup that will be in sharp focus for this match. CSK returned to Rayadu and Watson for the opening slot and it looks like Faf du Plessis will be cooling his heels in the dugout for quite some time.

Both the openers have been in brilliant form and the short boundaries at the Pune stadium will beckon them once again.

Raina at number 3 has looked far from his best and has struggled to come to terms with the short-pitched bowling he is now inevitably bombarded with. Cricket Betting Tips Dhoni will continue to persist with him, though, and hope that his form improves soon.

It is the middle order that has made all the difference for CSK in close matches. MS Dhoni is in vintage form and bringing back memories of his best. Match Betting Tips Sam Billings is an excellent player of spin and provides real value in the middle as well. That leaves Dwayne Bravo to come in and do what he knows best at the end of the inning.

If there is something amiss in this middle order then it is the presence of Ravindra Jadeja. Free Betting Tips The all-rounder is struggling to justify his place in the team and it looks highly unlikely that his batting is going to be the thing that turns his season around.

The bowling lineup of Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, and Karan Sharma is very good on some days and really expensive on others. Cricket Tips It is no coincidence that CSK has had to chase huge totals often in this tournament. MS Dhoni knows that winning such matches is not an easy task and he would love for his bowlers to improve their economy rates in the upcoming games.

A misfiring Mumbai Indians lineup could well give his bowling lineup the opportunity to do that.

​MUMBAI INDIANS
The Mumbai Indians started the tournament as pre-tournament favorites. Match Tips They had explosive batsmen in their lineup, all-rounders that could hold their own in both disciplines, and death bowlers that are regarded as the best at what they do in the world.

After six matches, the Mumbai Indians have lost fiver and is sitting second from the bottom of the table.

So, what went wrong?

We think the Mumbai Indians have actually not played as bad a level of cricket as their numbers suggest. Four out of their five losses have come in very closely contested games that could have easily gone in their favor as well. Online Cricket Betting The problem for Mumbai Indians has been that they have played well without winning and they are bound to go through a loss of form in a long tournament like the IPL as well.

Their last loss to the Sunrisers Hyderabad had to be the low-point of their season as they failed to chase down 114.

Surely, it is time to make a few changes in the team.

The one change that we absolutely believe will be made is to bring in JP Duminy in place of the struggling Kieron Pollard. Cricket Baazigar Tips Duminy has been in excellent form in the PSL and can beef up the Mumbai Indians batting while providing another spin option as well if needed.

Ben Cutting got a few games but was shunted out of the team and he too could get a look-in. Maybe Mustafizur Rahman or Mitchell McClenaghan can make way for Cutting who will boost the lower order hitting ability and is an excellent bowler as well.

Mumbai’s bowling has been off the mark under pressure. Bumrah has been bowling one or two bad overs in each while Mustafizur Rahman has cracked under the pressure multiple times. Cbtf Cricket  Markande and the Pandya brothers have been the best bowlers for Mumbai by far.

The batsmen for Mumbai has been scoring runs and should enjoy the conditions in Pune. Evin Lewis, Suryakumar Yadav, and Ishan Kishan have all played impressive innings. Jsk Betting Tips These three are good players but one of them must make way for Rohit Sharma because he is too important a player to be wasted down the order.

Rohit Sharma has played one inning of note and won the Mumbai Indians that match. He can also give himself a few more deliveries by coming up the order. Mumbai Indians are running out of time to turn their season around and they need the best of Rohit Sharma to come to the fore.

Mumbai Indians are up against a red-hot team at the moment but it is a side filled with match winners as well. To count them out is going to be foolhardy.

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The men and women at the Royal Challengers Bangalore can be forgiven for casting a longing glance at their next opposition. Cricket Betting Tips Free After all, Chennai Super Kings have typified the sort of success that the Bengaluru-based franchise have craved through their decade of disappointment. Cricket Betting Tips The RCB fan base remains defiant and vociferous, but its CSK counterpart - ever-vibrant, ever-loyal - knows exactly what the ultimate gratification for undying support feels like. Mumbai Indians emerged as the flag-bearers of the first decade of IPL courtesy their third title in 2017, but CSK remain the 'most consistent' team - making six finals out of eight, winning two and even pocking a couple of titles at the now-defunct Champions League T20.

As the teams square off for the first time since 2015, the gulf between the two is quite telling. CSK enjoy a 12-7 head-to-head advantage in 20 meetings, and are unbeaten in the last four encounters between the two. Match Betting Tips They've also nullified RCB's home ground advantage - if there's such a thing in cricket - with a 3-3 tally in seven outings. To add to it, RCB had to be content being second-best after running into CSK in the 2011 IPL final, and have won just one of the four tussles in the knockout and playoff rounds.

Dhoni & Co. have also made a rollicking - and rather unexpected - start to their 2018 campaign, peeling off nail-biting wins to take eight points of the available 10. Cbtf Tips The same cannot be said about Virat Kohli's men, who're yet to put on a complete performance that demonstrates an applaudable synchronisation between their batting and bowling output. Saturday's win over DD helped in distancing themselves from the bottom of the table, but they're still a long way from showing signs of being a top-four candidate.

CSK's possession of multiple game-turners with the bat puts the daylight between the two teams. Each CSK fixture has seen a different batsman put their hand up in times of crisis, something RCB seem to lack. Despite Mandeep Singh's promising form in the middle, and his insistence that there is more to RCB's batting beyond Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, there's very little evidence to suggest the same. Cricket Tips Free Kohli already has 200-plus runs, and de Villiers has been the central figure of RCB's two victories so far. De Villiers himself has defended his side and rubbished that notion, but there's a lot of work that the rest need to put in to justify it.

In two big chases - against Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians - RCB fell short because none of the batsmen could support Kohli. Free Betting Tips Against MI in particular, the skipper carried his bat with a 62-ball 92 in vain as the second-best score was Quinton de Kock's 19.

The bowling departments of both sides have been plagued by similar ills - lack of control in the death overs. Online Betting On Cricket They have conceded totals of 200 and above [once by CSK, twice by RCB] and are in need of addressing that issue at the earliest. Wednesday's fixture could be a good starting point for that endeavour for both teams, before they head into a period when the jostle for a spot in the top-half will intensify.

When: April 25, at 8 PM IST

Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

What to expect: A cloudy evening, with thunderstorms earlier in the day. Cricket Baazigar The weather forecast for Wednesday is very similar to what it was last Saturday, when RCB hosted DD. It is likely to be another slow wicket to bat first on, with dew assisting run-making in the second. Toss, as always, will be of paramount importance.

Team news

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Moeen Ali and Parthiv Patel batted for long hours in the nets two days ahead of the fixture, but that's been the case since they've joined up with RCB. It is unlikely that Virat Kohli & co. will make changes to a winning side.

Probable XI: Quinton de Kock, Manan Vohra, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Corey Anderson, Mandeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Chennai Super Kings: Head coach Stephen Fleming confirmed that Imran Tahir is fit again, and hinted at using two leg-spinners for the game.  Cricket Match Betting Tips That means Tahir could return in place of either Faf du Plessis or Sam Billings. If the former is retained, then Ambati Rayudu will continue to hold a middle-order role, else he might be required to open the batting with Shane Watson again. Fleming also talked about playing a third spinner in Harbhajan in order to tie down left-handers, but it might be a stretch for CSK to go with three spinners, in spite of the slowness of the track.

If RCB go unchanged, they'll have three left-handers in the line-up - Quinton de Kock, Corey Anderson and Washington Sundar, but with two of the most important players being right-handed, CSK are likely to stick with Karn to partner Tahir.

Probable XI: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Sam Billings/Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma/Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir, Shardul Thakur

Interesting face-offs

Kohli vs CSK: 19 innings; 706 runs; Avg 44.13; SR 126.98; 6 X 50s; HS 73 - most by a player vs CSK in IPL, 156 more than the next best

Dhoni vs RCB: 22 innings; 608 runs; Avg 32.00; SR 135.71; 2 X 50s; HS 70* - most runs for him vs an opponent in IPL

Raina vs Chahal: Chahal has dismissed Raina four times on 57 balls. Raina has scored 79 runs off Chahal at a SR of 138.60.

Approaching milestones

Virat Kohli will be leading in his 100th match in the T20 format. He is the eighth player overall and the third Indian after MS Dhoni (244) and Gautam Gambhir (170).

Venue trends

Chinnaswamy Stadium has been the most batsman friendly venue this season (min. two games) with a scoring rate of 9.24 per over. Pacers concede at 9.72 per over while the spinners have done far better at 7.62.

IPL 2018 trends

CSK and RCB have been two of the best batting sides in the death overs this IPL - CSK scoring at 12.12 and RCB at 11.24. However, the same two sides concede the most with the ball in the last five overs - RCB at 12.87 and CSK at 10.89.

What they said:

"I know CSK have fans all over the country, and I believe they have a fair amount of support here in Bengaluru. But it will definitely be a home game for us. Cricket Betting Tips The crowd gets behind us when we get some momentum going. It's matter of playing well tomorrow and I feel the crowd will lift us a lot." - AB de Villiers on getting the home crowd backing.

"It is a special match, given the proximity of the two cities. Cricket Betting Tips Free There is a lot of interest, a lot of emotion and we have always enjoyed the encounters and have seen some great ones over the years. I don't think tomorrow will be any different." - Stephen Fleming on what to expect from the RCB-CSK clash.

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