cricket betting preview2021 IPL Playoff Betting Preview： Four Teams Left
Four down, four to go. Just as importantly as knowing who the four are, we know who will be playing who.
The format of the IPL dictates that the top two teams from the group stages play each other in a one-off match called the qualifier. The winner goes straight to the final, the loser hangs around to play the qualifier 2. That’s against the winner of the eliminator, played between the sides that finished third and fourth in the group stages.
The qualifier 1 will be played on Sunday, October 10, the eliminator on Monday, October 11, the qualifier 2 will be on Wednesday, October 13, and then the big final is next Friday, October 15. Let’s look at who our money should be on.
By definition the most impressive side in the group stages because they topped the table. They went into the second leg of the IPL top of the table and that’s where they stayed. They had one bad day at the office against KKR in posting a subpar total, which they couldn’t defend, but other than that, they carried on winning games, both chasing and defending.
Probably the best and most varied bowling lineup in the tournament. South African duo Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada are pure class and Nortje has been particularly economical. Indian spinners Axar Patel and Ravi Ashwin have been tight and disciplined too and to top it all off, Avesh Khan has taken 22 wickets, the second-most of anyone in the IPL.
The injury to Marcus Stoinis has caused an imbalance in the side. His ability to bat at 5 and bowl whenever needed held the side together and his injury has caused them a headache. They tried replacing him with Lalit Yadav and only playing three overseas players and they also tried playing Steve Smith, with even less success. The best option might be to play Sam Billings at 6 as a designated finisher because it’s a role he knows so well. But so far, they haven’t used that option.
Anrich Nortje?– Lots of choices but we’ll go with Nortje. The big fast bowler has been absurdly economical and that’s made a huge difference in keeping opposition totals down, while also taking key wickets in the power plays.
Things were going beautifully for CSK, but they then lost three in a row to the Royals, Capitals and Punjab respectively. In truth it doesn’t make any difference in terms of the playoffs because finishing first or second is the same. ?But it’s robbed them of momentum and certainly exposed a few flaws in their team.
The experience that the likes of Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu and of course MS Dhoni have of big under-pressure IPL matches is invaluable. There will be tight situations that need to be handled and few have done it as many times as this lot. Whatever happens, there will be a lot of cool heads out there.
CSK must be seriously wondering about their middle order. While Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis have been brilliant and Ambati Rayudu and Ravindra Jadeja very decent, the rest have struggled.
All of Suresh Raina (currently injured), Moeen Ali, Robin Uthappa and in particular MS Dhoni have been really poor and unable to find any form. If they lose early wickets in a big chase, their race may be run.
Ravindra Jadeja – He generally bowls four overs, can rescue most batting crises and is their best fielder. There’s not much Jadeja can’t do, and he’s played lots of these matches before. They’ll need their effervescent all-rounder at his best.
Failure to beat bottom of the table SRH during the week meant they couldn’t finish top two whatever happened in their last game. A top-three finish looks decent on paper, but they’ve become far too reliant on Glenn Maxwell with the bat. He scored three fifties in a row to bail them out and without his fast runs they may have missed out on the playoffs entirely. They’ll have to do it the hard way by winning three in a row.
Harshal Patel (29 wickets) and Yuzvendra Chahal (15) have been excellent in taking wickets all season. No one has taken more than Patel in the whole tournament.
Any side that has two bowlers who are such consistent threats –?one with pace and one with spin –?are always going to threaten your ability to have opposition batsmen go on to get big scores.
It’s very often been Maxwell or nothing with bat. Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal have lost form and several experiments promoting other batsmen up the order have failed. They’re also making a huge mistake in sometimes batting AB de Villiers as low as 6. You need to give your best players a chance to play themselves in.
Glenn Maxwell has been fearless with his batting, and it’s paid off. He looks a completely different player to the one at Punjab last year and his new-found confidence and freedom makes him a dangerous player indeed. You feel he needs to bat well for RCB to have a chance.
KKR came good when it mattered, beating the two struggling teams in their final matches to get over the line and make fourth. Both of those wins were on the back of excellent bowling displays, but doubts remain about their batting, especially with Andre Russell currently injured and a doubt for the playoffs.
The likes of Varun Chakavarthy, Shivam Mavi and Sunil Narine have been much better of late and this is?one of those teams where lots of different bowlers take wickets. Better still is the return to fitness of Lockie Ferguson, who has been brilliant since returning, bowling at real pace.
For years they’ve relied too much?on the fabulous Andre Russell. He can take plenty of wickets and score faster than anyone in the world. But they’re a bit lost when he’s not there and he’s currently injured. Their confidence suffers as much as anything in his absence, and they’ll be praying they can get him on the field.
It’s incredibly difficult to win three games in the IPL in a row. And it’s even more difficult to do so when you’re up against the very best teams. That’s why no one has done it yet en route to winning the IPL.
That’s the task facing KKR and RCB and it looks a step too far given that neither of them have been that consistent. So, we have to rule them both out despite their?considerably bigger odds.
So, it’s a straight swap between CSK and Delhi. Chennai have the experience of playing so many big games on their side and have of course won this three times before.
Then again, they come into the playoffs on a bad run and maybe that’s no coincidence?–?remember how much they struggled in the UAE last year?
So, Delhi it is. They have a wonderfully varied bowling attack and though the likes of Shimron Hetmyer and Rishabh Pant haven’t yet been at their best, their batting looks solid and bat down to at least 8 with the likes of?Ravi Ashwin and Axar Patel capable of some big hits at the death if needed.
Of course, the big doubt is whether they can handle the pressure –?they’ve yet to win an IPL. But this is the best chance they’ll ever have.
You can start by checking our reviews of the best IPL betting sites for our assessment of how they stack up against each other.
Once you’ve opened an account and are ready to go, your first port of call is right here at Odds Shark. We have all the team news, stats and betting tips that matter to make sure you not only enjoy the IPL but also win some money on it.
Remember that there’s a lot more going on than just the winner market and the winner of individual matches and it’s exactly finding betting value at great IPL odds on other markets that we’re all about.?Go here for more info on how to bet on the IPL.
cricket betting previewArgentina vs Croatia – Semi-Final – Preview & Prediction ｜ 2022 FIFA World Cup
Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!
THE FACTS
When is Argentina vs Croatia on and what time does it start? Argentina vs Croatia will take place on Tuesday 13th December, 2022 – 19:00 (UK)
Where is Argentina vs Croatia taking place? Argentina vs Croatia will take place at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar
Where can I get tickets for Argentina vs Croatia? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Argentina vs Croatia
What channel is Argentina vs Croatia on in the UK? Argentina vs Croatia will be televised live on ITV
Where can I stream Argentina vs Croatia in the UK? Argentina vs Croatia can be streamed live on the ITV Hub
THE LOWDOWN
ARGENTINA
Argentina blew a two-goal lead late on in their quarter-final clash with Netherlands but they were able to hold their nerve in the penalty shootout to overcome their opponents in an ill-tempered contest. The Argentines will be without defensive duo Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna after they both picked up bookings in that fiery clash, meaning they will be banned for this semi-final with Nicolas Tagliafico looking set to come into the starting XI.
CROATIA
Croatia stunned pre-tournament favourites Brazil as they won a thrilling penalty shootout to book their spot in the semi-final, showing their battling qualities once again having gone behind in extra-time. The Croatians didn’t give in and forced penalties thanks to Bruno Petkovic’s leveller but it may not be enough to earn a start with Zlatko Dalic able to roll with the same side that started the win over Brazil.
THE TEAM NEWS
ARGENTINA
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez
UNAVAILABLE: Gonzalo Montiel (Suspended), Marcos Acuna (Suspended)
QUESTIONABLE: Alejandro Gomez (Injured), Rodrigo De Paul (Injured), Angel Di Maria (Injured)
CROATIA
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic; Pasalic, Kramaric, Perisic
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE:
THE KEY STATS
Argentina have been successful in each of their previous four FIFA World Cup semi-final ties (1930, 1986, 1990 and 2014). They won their two most recent World Cup semi-finals on penalties (v Italy in 1990 and v Netherlands in 2014)Argentina have lost only one of their last 41 international matches (W28 D12)Argentina have scored two goals in each of their last four matches at Qatar 2022Argentina have scored the first goal in each of their five matches at Qatar 2022Lionel Messi has joined Gabriel Batistuta as joint all-time top goalscorer for Argentina in FIFA World Cup matches with 10 goalsLionel Messi will join Lothar Matth?us as joint record appearance-maker in FIFA World Cup history if he plays here in what would be his 25th matchThe quarter-final, was Argentina’s sixth penalty shootout in FIFA World Cup history and their fifth victory – both more than any other teamEight of Argentina’s last 14 World Cup knockout stage matches against European nations have required extra-timeThis is Croatia’s third FIFA World Cup semi-final tie. They won one and lost one of the previous two (L 2-1 v France in 1998 and W 2-1 v England (aet) in 2018)Croatia have lost only one of their last 12 FIFA World Cup matches (W5 D6)Croatia have lost only one of their last 21 international matches (W12 D8)Croatia have been successful in eight of their ten FIFA World Cup knockout stage tiesFive of Croatia’s last six FIFA World Cup knockout stage matches have gone into extra-timeCroatia have won all four penalty shootouts that they have been involved in FIFA World Cup historyCroatia have conceded the first goal in three of their last four matches at Qatar 2022Croatia have only failed to score in two of their last 16 FIFA World Cup matches
The head-to-head record between Argentina and Croatia in their previous five meetings is even, with one draw and two wins apiece. They have one win each in their two FIFA World Cup encounters, both in the group stage, cricket betting previewArgentina vs Croatia – Semi-Final – Preview & Prediction ｜ 2022 FIFA World Cup Argentina won 1-0 in 1998 and Croatia claimed a 3-0 victory in 2018
cricket betting previewBetting preview Argentina Vs Croatia World Cup 2022 13th December 2022 Football
a dare una lettura razionale alla gara, credo che l’Argentina sia comunque favorita, anche se ha dimostrato di non avere una tenuta mentale ottimale nè con l’Australia, nè con l’Olanda. Tuttavia, credo che la cricket betting previewArgentina vs Croatia – Semi-Final – Preview & Prediction ｜ 2022 FIFA World Cup Seleccion abbia qualcosa in più dei croati, che potrebbero essere andati oltre le loro possibilità col Brasile, anche per un Livakovic quasi mostruoso.
