Daily Sports Tips – Saturday, May 19

The Challengers are still in the hunt for a place in the IPL Finals thanks to 14-tun win over the Sunrisers in their last start. It’s the last roll of the dice for Virat Kohli’s men who are sitting in fifth place on the IPL ladder, just below the Mumbai Indians on run rate. The Royals enter their last game of the tournament without Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes. The English duo have been recalled for England’s First Test against Pakistan. Buttler has been in outstanding form for the Royals with the willow and the Royals may look to recall D’Arcy Short to cover his loss. RCB have been in outstanding form with the bat and expect South African star AB de Villers to lead them to another tough win.

It’s difficult to back the Cowboys with any real confidence after their last performance against the Tigers. North Queensland are struggling, and star halfback Jonathan Thurston has failed to recapture the spark that has made him one of the competition’s best players for the last decade. The Rabbitohs are on an upward trajectory, with four wins from their last five games and are playing an outstanding brand of football. The ageing Cowboys will be determined to put on a show for the home fans this week, but Souths simply have too much class at the moment and I’m backing them to record a memorable win.

The Sunwolves received a massive boost last weekend, breaking through to record their maiden win for the 2018 season against the Queensland Reds. The Japanese side has gone through a major overhaul in the offseason and they’re starting to reap the benefits. The Stormers were outplayed by the Chiefs at home 15-9 and now head to Asia with a 0-6 record on the road. The Stormers have struggled against the Sunwolves in Asia in their last two clashes and the signs point towards the Japanese side causing an upset in Hong Kong.

The Power were outstanding in their win over the Crows last weekend and will be feeling confident as they head to China to take on the Suns this weekend. After a promising start to the season, the Suns will need to find an avenue to goal, without the services of injured spearhead Tom Lynch. The Crusaders have defied an extensive injury list to comfortable sit at the top of the New Zealand Conference and will be out to continue Auckland’s miserable season when they clash in the Super Rugby this weekend. Novak Djokovic continues his preparation for the French Open when he goes up against Japanese star Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals of the ATP event in Rome. Djokovic will be wanting to continue his good run of form and recently defeated the 20th ranked Nishikori at the first round of the Madrid Open in straight sets.