Cape Town - Your three-day preview of the upcoming Indian Premier League matches.
Monday, April 16
Kolkata Knight Riders 0.65 (Won 1; Lost 2) v Delhi Daredevils 1.15 (Won 1; Lost 2)
Betting: KKR v DD
Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR started their 2018 campaign in style with a comprehensive win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and then posted over 200 in their next match against the Chennai Super Kings. Since then, they have under-performed. However, no matter the team performance, Sunil Narine always finds himself in the headlines and this time for his bowling. He was the only bowler in the match to not concede a boundary; he conceded 10 singles, 3 twos and one run through a wide. All in all, KKR will need more than one player to perform against the Delhi Daredevils today, if they want their second victory of the tournament.
Delhi Daredevils
On Saturday, the DD got their first victory of the 2018 IPL and a record run chase at the Wankhede Stadium. They took it to the last ball but Jason Roy’s brilliant knock brought them home against the Mumbai Indians. The opener, who was playing in his first IPL match of the season, anchored the chase to the finish line with a 53-ball 91-run knock. Judging on that performance, we are going to see a lot more of the Englishman. The DD fans will be expecting another clinical performance against an inconsistent Kolkata Knight Riders.
Tuesday, April 17
Mumbai Indians 1.00 (Lost 3) v Royal Challengers Bangalore 0.80 (Won 1; Lost 2)
Betting: MI v RCB
Mumbai Indians
Who would have thought that defending IPL champions would be in this position at the start of the 2018 campaign? With three straight losses, the MI are in need of a positive result in order to change their fortunes. There have been standout performances from players such as Lewis, Yadav, Bumrah and Krunal but a team performance is needed. A result against a strong Royal Challengers Bangalore is a must! The IPL is a lengthy tournament but their season are falling away right in front of their eyes.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
The start of the 2018 campaign for RCB has been up and down. They responded passionately against a strong Kings XI Punjab after their opening match loss against Kolkata Knight Riders. Fans all around the world viewed that victory as the kick start they needed but they didn’t foresee a loss against a stuttering Rajasthan Royals. RCB bowlers couldn't contain the RR batters as they were smashed all over the park. Four out of the six bowlers has a run rate of over 10! No matter who is in your batting line-up, chasing 217 is not going to be easy. If RCB want to be serious contenders for this year's IPL, they will need to tighten up their bowling.
Wednesday, April 18
Rajasthan Royals 1.10 (Won 2; Lost 1) v Kolkata Knight Riders 0.70 (Won 1; Lost 2 & Pending Monday’s game)
Betting: RR v KKR
Rajasthan Royals
Apart from Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Rajasthan Royals are the form team going into the fourth round of fixtures. The team has been carried by the performances of youngster, Sanju Samson, and the numbers don't lie. With an average of 89 and a strike rate of 163, he will be dangerous this year! Wins over the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils, they will look to continue their run of form against a dwindling Kolkata Knight Riders team. If they manage 3 wins on the trot, they will start to believe that they have the ability to go all the way.
Kolkata Knight Riders
On Thursday, we could be sitting here writing a completely different preview depending on KKR’s result against the Delhi Daredevils. There’s no denying KKR have issues with their combinations; having the smallest squad in the competition isn’t helping them either. Jacques Kallis and his coaching group have several questions to answer if they want to develop the consistency required to win IPL 2018.