Make this sweltering Sunday a sweet one by placing these three bets from Punjab vs Delhi

BySky247, SportsCafe Editor

05/02/2021

A CSK win would have given both these teams breathing space, but Mumbai winning on Saturday means that Sunday’s clash between PBKS and DC becomes all the more important. It’s tough to choose between these two sides, but you know what’s easy? Trusting the three bets we’re going to provide you.

Shikhar Dhawan to score over 27.5 runs @ 1.90

It’s funny, isn’t it? How, in just a year’s time, Shikhar Dhawan has gone from being one of the most boring batters in the league to the most reliable and clutch opener in the competition. This season, he’s averaging 44 and is 20 shy of regaining the orange cap, and it turns out that on Sunday he’ll be up against the team of the man he’s directly competing with. 46, 6, 28, 45, 92, 9 and 85 read Dhawan’s scores this season and in his last 5 knocks, he’s scored over 27.5 four times. This extends to 5 in 7 if you include the whole season; basically, as the numbers above suggest, he’s passed 27.5 essentially every time he’s got to double digits. That’s crazy, right? What’s more crazier is his recent record for Punjab. In his last two games vs Punjab, Dhawan has scored 92 and 102 vs Punjab and the first knock came earlier this season, when the Capitals demolished the Kings. Since last season, he’s scored over 27.5 in 58% of his knocks so it would be utterly foolish to not back a guy who is in the form of his life.

Prithvi Shaw to score over 23.5 runs @ 1.90

When we talk about the words ‘openers’ and ‘run accumulation’, Prithvi Shaw is not a name that usually pops up but this season, the youngster has remarkably managed to do just that. With 269 runs to his name, Shaw is currently the fourth highest run-getter in IPL 2021 and he is only one position behind his partner, Dhawan. Shaw, usually known to be a dasher who is inconsistent, has averaged 38 this season and has carried over his spectacular domestic form into the IPL. 82, 21, 53, 7, 32, 2 and 72 read his scores this season and in the last game vs KKR, he arguably played the best knock of his IPL career, scoring an 18-ball fifty to demolish the Knight Riders. This season, he’s passed the 23.5 run-mark 4/7 times and in Ahmedabad alone, he averages a stunning 52.5. What’s been special about Prithvi this season is that he’s struck a fifty in every venue he’s played at, so one can be sure that regardless of how the pitch plays out on Sunday, the youngster will be up for the challenge. He does not have an impressive H2H record versus the Kings, but the Shaw of 2021 is a completely different beast altogether, so expect him to fire.

Punjab to hit over 6.5 sixes @ 1.70

The odds for this one right here are not flashy and there’s a reason for it - it is obvious as heck. Still, despite being obvious, it is exactly the kind of bet that can guarantee you cash, so it is pretty much a no-brainer. So far in the first 7 games, Punjab have hit 50 sixes, the second best amongst all franchises in the competition. This translates to an average of 7.14 sixes per game, which is truly astonishing. In their last game versus Bangalore, Punjab hit 9 sixes, and they hit a ludicrous 8 sixes even in the game vs KKR which they lost rather comprehensively. Essentially, in Ahmedabad, they’ve hit 8.5 sixes per game on average and so will undoubtedly be backing themselves to do the same on Sunday. 9, 8, 6, 2, 10, 2, and 13 read Punjab’s six-count this season, with them failing to hit 6 or more sixes in just two games. In the previous H2H match vs the Capitals earlier this season, Punjab hit a staggering 10 sixes, so expect sixes to galore in Ahmedabad on Sunday.