tadley

CSK are a hard team to beat on their own turf, so I just favour them today. They have strengthened their batting, which needed doing, with Samson adding some power. Once again, they have some quality spinners, so if, as expected, the wicket favours spin, they should thrive. RR had a fine capture in Sam Curran, but his injury is a big blow. Outside of the top order they look erratic with the bat, so their bowlers need to perform, but they seem to lack bowling depth.

Wakelin can produce some good snooker on his day but puts in too many substandard performances. Yize has won the last two meetings with Wakelin and is in fine form coming into this with 8 wins from his last 10.

Praia finished 7 points clear of Bauru and has dominated the meetings this season. They won both league games as well as the cup, all being 3-0 whitewashes. I don't see Bauru turning things around.

Minas were a lot stronger in the league phase and dominated the head-to-heads, winning all three and dropping just one set. They were dominant wins, and with Volei winning just four games away from home, Minas look the clear favourites.

As expected, Hyderabad Kingsmen's bowling has again been awful, and they seem incapable of keeping sides to a low score. Their only route to victory is to post huge totals. It hasn't worked so far, and their batting hasn't quite flourished as expected, with Gladiators bowling them out for just 134 last time. Multan Sultans aren't the Multan Sultans of previous seasons. They are a new team previously called Sialkot Stallions who changed their name. They have an impressive opening pair in Sahibzada Farhan and Steve Smith. Although they didn't really perform in game one, it didn't matter as the rest of the line-up stepped up. There looks to be more to come from them.

Andorra are capable on their day but have won just a third of their home games, so I don't trust them to beat a solid side like Málaga. Málaga are firmly established in the playoffs, but automatic promotion is still in sight, and they need to win games like this. They are in great form with just two defeats from 18, including 12 wins. They beat Andorra 4-1 earlier in the season, and I suspect they will get something out of this.

Two struggling sides, with Cultural Leonesa bottom and Huesca third-bottom. Cultural are winless in 15 and had a 4-0 home thumping last time at home to Andorra. Huesca won away 2-0 in the earlier fixture between them and, despite not playing well, should have enough to win this.

Bergischer had a rare win over Hamburg last time, but it was just their sixth win of the season. Gummersbach are in the European spots thanks to eight wins on the trot. It's still close, though, so they can't afford to drop points in games like this, and I don't think they will.

Bottom-side Wetzlar had a crucial win two games ago over fellow strugglers Minden but were thumped next time by Rhein-Neckar 41-27, which shows their limitations. Stuttgart are unbeaten in five and are the stronger side.

Van der Poel and Poga?ar have dominated this race in recent years, with five wins between them from the last six years. Van der Poel has won three and Poga?ar two. Poga?ar is capable of riding away from anyone, but Van der Poel has a massive engine. If he can stay with Poga?ar until near the end, he will be impossible to drop.

World Champion Zhao Xintong has continued his fine form this season, winning the Riyadh Season Championship, World Grand Prix and the Players Championship. Over long distances like this, he looks fiendishly hard to beat and is looking unbeatable when at his best.

It's a chaotic PSL this season with no crowds, just two venues, and substandard players due to them bizarrely scheduling it against the IPL. Qalandars won last season and have won three of the last four. They retain a strong squad. They possibly have the best selection of bowlers, and although the batting could be said to be a bit too heavy, there is quality there. I expect a strong performance from them.

According to the bookies, Gujarat Titans are the second-worst side in the competition, but I don't see it. Jos Buttler is a concern after a poor T20 World Cup campaign, but he is too good a player to keep playing that badly. I see him enjoying the fresh start. Even if he underperforms, there are enough quality batters in the side to step up. I also like their mix of bowlers and can see them going deep.

Mumbai Indians look the strongest side on paper and should go well. They had the best net run rate last season but just missed out on the play-offs by one point. They have a wealth of batting talent to choose from, although perhaps they are over-reliant on Bumrah in the bowling department. That may not matter, as I see them posting consistently high scores.

I'm just not convinced by Boult at the moment and think Bumrah is a much more reliable option. You can guarantee he will play his full quota of overs each match and simply looks the best, most consistent wicket-taker.

Lancashire underperformed, finishing 5th despite having a strong squad. They've really impressed with signings over the winter, enrolling quality players at this level, so I see them doing a lot better than 5th.

Warwickshire finished down in 5th last season but were hampered by drawing nine games, the most in the league. They've strengthened their squad and look capable of a better performance this season.

Verstappen kept himself in the title race last season despite clearly not having the best car. That speaks volumes about his skill, which should see him once again go well this season. Despite him slamming the new regulation, it should be to his benefit as he has the skills to master the new designs. The Red Bull has looked very promising in practice, so I rate him as the most likely winner.