Indian Premier League - IPL 
/ Andrew Hughes / 04 April 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Kolkata will be too strong for Delhi
"The problem for the Daredevils is that virtually all of their stars are absent for this opening game..."
Andrew Hughes thinks a weakened Delhi team will be no match for Kolkata in Thursday's IPL game.
April 5, Kolkata v Delhi, Eden Gardens, Live on ITV 4, 15:30 BST
Team News
Kolkata have a full squad to choose from and their only dilemma is whether to play both Brendon McCullum and Jacques Kallis at the top of the order. Ryan ten Doeschate and Shakib Al Hasan are in competition for two middle order spots and if Brett Lee needs a rest after his Caribbean exertions, young South African quick Marchant de Lange could take the fourth overseas player slot.
Delhi strengthened their middle order batting at the player auction in February, but Kevin Pietersen, Mahela Jayawardene and Ross Taylor are all unavailable for this one. They will also be without opener David Warner and young fast bowler Varun Aaron. Doug Bracewell and Morne Morkel will lead the attack whilst Aaron Finch should open alongside Virender Sehwag.
Venue and Conditions
Pitches at Eden Gardens are generally slow but vary in how much assistance they give the spinners. Last year Rajasthan were skittled out for 82 there, but then a few days later Bangalore chased down 175 for the loss of one wicket.
Match Odds
Kolkata are many people's idea of the main challengers to Chennai. Their squad is nicely balanced and largely unaffected by absentees, whilst their fourth place last year was a sign of clear improvement. Delhi had a nightmare in 2011 but have made some shrewd purchases this time round and are unlikely to propping up the table again.
The problem for the Daredevils is that virtually all of their stars are absent for this opening game and their weakened batting line-up will be extremely vulnerable. Backing teams at odds-on can be a risky business in the IPL, but Kolkata's superiority is such that odds of [1.86] about a home win are worth taking.
Top Kolkata Batsman
With the uncertainty over whether Kolkata can accommodate both Kallis and McCullum at the top of the order, it makes sense to stick with captain Gautam Gambhir. An underrated Twenty20 performer, he is good in a run chase or batting first and is a safe betting proposition. He should be backed at [4.5] or better.
Top Delhi Batsman
Virender Sehwag was the top runscorer for Delhi last year and is popular in this market, but at bigger odds, I prefer Venugopal Rao. He was the second highest runscorer for Delhi last time, finishing ahead of David Warner and in this weakened line-up could move up to four or even three in the order. He's worth backing at [7.0]
Recommended Bet
Back Gautam Gambhir to top score for Kolkata at [4.5]
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