Today's cricket predictions — Friday, 24 April 2026

Why RCB win this

Chinnaswamy has seen a quiet shift this season. Ten of the last thirteen games here have been won by the chasing side, but RCB's new opening pair of Virat Kohli and Phil Salt has posted powerplays of 64, 71, 58 and 79 at home — the highest 6-over average at this venue in IPL history. Gujarat arrive without Rashid Khan (flight delay reported) and their back-up leg-spinner Sai Kishore leaks 9.1 per over at Chinnaswamy historically.

Top batter pick

Phil Salt at 3.10 — three 40+ scores in his last four here, and his matchup against Mohit Sharma (21 balls, 37 runs, 0 dismissals career) is as lopsided as it gets.

Top bowler pick

Yash Dayal at 4.50 — swings it under lights, and he has the highest dot-ball percentage in death overs at Chinnaswamy this season (47.6%).

Avoid this bet

Stay away from "tied match" specials and individual six-count bets under 8.5 — Chinnaswamy's average sixes-per-match in 2026 is 14.2.

Why SRH win this

A day game at Kotla plays like a batting paradise — no dew to help spinners grip, and SRH's Travis Head / Abhishek Sharma opening pair averages 78 together in day fixtures this season. Delhi's weak link is their fifth bowler (Axar Patel bowling 4 overs is fine, anyone else is a problem) — SRH will look to target Kapstan or Dubey for 18+ off an over.

Top batter pick

Travis Head at 3.25 — strike rate 194 in day fixtures this season, Kotla's shortest square boundary is 56m (leg side).

Contrarian angle

If you're playing the toss, take "bat first" at 1.95 — Delhi have bat-first records of 5-2 at home this season vs. 2-3 chasing.

Why MI-W

Mumbai have the best domestic spin trio in the competition (Saika Ishaque, Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur) and Brabourne slows up significantly after 16 overs under lights. Delhi's middle order has been flaky against slow left-arm orthodox all season — they've averaged 7.8 runs/over vs SLA, worst in the competition.