IPL Betting: Kolkata Knight Riders v Pune Warriors

Gautam Gambhir should lead by example with the bat when Kolkata host Pune on Wednesday

Dismal Pune can't wait for IPL 6 to come to an end but can they challenge defending Champions Kolkata on a difficult Ranchi surface? Matt Harris takes a look

Kolkata Knight Riders v Pune Warriors
Wednesday 15 May 2013 at 11:30 BST
Live on ITV4 and itv.com

Kolkata Knight Riders

If the Royal Challengers manage to beat Kings XI on Tuesday then KKR's defence of their IPL title will be over and that's really no more than they deserve. Victory in their opening match was followed by some poor results and only a run of three wins from their last four has kept their faint play off hopes alive.

Kolkata were hampered by injuries to key men including Brendon McCullum and Ryan ten Doeschate but the overseas players that came in have performed well enough, with the possible exception of Sunil Narine who hasn't quite been able to find the wicket taking potency of 2012. The real issue lies in a lack of support for the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Jacques Kallis and Eoin Morgan at the top of the order - KKR simply haven't posted big enough totals.

Pune Warriors

IPL 6 has been a tournament to forget for Pune who must be counting the days until the group stages end and they can all fly home. Somewhat embarrassingly, I had tipped the Warriors as an outside bet for a top four finish and while that seems ridiculous now, their early win over league leaders Chennai proved just how much talent and potential there actually is in this underperforming side.

Pune have been unable to work out their best team and have used all their overseas players in a desperate attempt to get away from the bottom of the table but every combination has looked equally poor.

Venue and Conditions

The JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi hosted its first ever IPL game when Kolkata faced RCB on Sunday and it produced a sluggish pitch on which Bangalore stuttered to 115-9 from 20 overs. Even Chris Gayle was becalmed - making 33 from 36 balls - so don't expect a run feast on Wednesday, particularly now that Pune are in town.

Temperatures are expected to peak in the late 30's centigrade for this afternoon game but there may be a touch of cloud cover to assist the seamers.

Match Odds

Kolkata are obvious favourites at 1.548/15 but if you have any faith left in the Warriors, Aaron Finch's men are a generous 2.8415/8. 

Eliminated teams can react in one of two ways: With the pressure of qualification removed they can either relax and play their best cricket or they can become so demoralised that their performances become even worse. Expect Pune to continue to follow the latter route in this game and hand the points to the Knight Riders.

Top Kolkata Batsman

Skipper Gautam Gambhir has struggled a little in recent games after shouldering KKR's batting responsibility for so long but he remains favourite at around 3.412/5. Meanwhile, Jacques Kallis finally found his touch with a match winning 41 against RCB so you may be tempted by the South African at 4.57/2 or better.

Eoin Morgan and Ryan ten Doeschate are additional candidates but Gambhir should give the profit with a return to form against a suspect bowling attack.

Top Pune Batsman

Aaron Finch is the only top order player to show any consistency but he has also fallen away in the aftermath of Pune's early exit. The new skipper is the favourite at around the 3.55/2 mark but the previous captain Angelo Mathews seems to enjoy batting without any added responsibility and is my pick at 76/1 or possibly better.

Recommended Bet
Back Gautam Gambhir to top score for Kolkata at around 3.412/5