The Champions League T20 finals gets underway this week and the top two Indian teams dominate the betting. Ten teams from around the world will meet in these finals, however, Leicestershire Foxes, winners of the English domestic competition, have already been eliminated following a poor loss to Trinidad and Tobago earlier this week. Ruhuna and Auckland were also eliminated as the best of the best meet for the lucrative tournament in India.
In what is a wide open Champions League T20 betting market, the Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore head betting at 5/1 with New South Wales and Kolkata Knight Riders next best at 7/1. Mumbai Indians are at 15/2 with the English Somerset side at 11/1. The local teams have everything in their favour, particularly the draw, with Chennai heading betting in pool A and Bangalore heading the betting in pool B. Organizers will be hoping they both make it through to the final – it will certainly draw a large crowd.
T20 cricket betting has been plagued by problems in the past, especially from the betting activities of certain sections of the Indian and Pakistani community. Hopefully we will get through this tournament without any problems – however, being played in India does create some cause for concern. While Chennai and Bangalore are fielding top teams, don’t leave Somerset or New South Wales out of your calculations. English cricket is riding a high at present, and Somerset could certainly capitalize on that.
New South Wales are the team most likely to cause concern to the Indian favourites. They will field a strong batting lineup that includes seasoned T20 players Shane Watson, David Warner, Phillip Hughes and Simon Katich. Their weakness will be in the bowling attack, however, if the batsmen can thump big scores, which they are capable off, then catching them will be the problem.
We’re tipping a local victory with the Chennai Super Kings having a good balance between batting and bowling. Their batting will rely heavily on Australia’s Michael Hussey, fresh from big scores in Sri Lanka along with Murali Vijay and Suresh Raina, both capable of quick runs. Add in MS Dhoni who can anchor down one end before lashing out and you have a great base for success. Chennai to win, but look out for New South Wales as well.