Indian T20 League 2019, Match 17: Bangalore vs Kolkata – Dotball Fantasy Cricket Guide

Is Virat Kohli a good option to captain your fantasy team?

Published - 05 Apr 2019, 12:40 IST | Updated - 05 Apr 2019, 12:40 IST

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Four straight losses have left Bangalore pondering over their shaky combination. Apart from a closely-contested game against Mumbai, Bangalore have failed to even put up a fight as they have lost games with huge margins which will eventually boil down to a poor net run rate. Virat Kohli and his troops need to arrest the slide quickly to stay relevant in the competition.

Kolkata are coming into this contest after playing out a heart-stopping contest against Delhi which they eventually lost in the season’s first Super-Over. Apart from this slip, Kolkata already have two wins in their bag and need to build on it when they face a listless Bangalore side on Friday. If you are sitting down to pick a Fantasy team, Kolkata have some exciting raw talent in their ranks besides their experienced brigade while Bangalore possess big stars who are not firing at all cylinders. But hey, things can quickly turnaround in this format remember!

Venue:

M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Conditions:

The Chinnaswamy pitch is a batting paradise with short boundaries on all sides which makes it a graveyard for bowlers. The pitch may assist the seamers in the early part of the game. The dew factor is likely to impact the proceedings in the second innings. Expect yet another high-scoring contest.

Injury updates:

No injuries in both camps

Fantasy Tips: If you are looking for possible captain choices for a head to head contest, you could go with these ‘Safe Captain Choices’

AB de Villiers: The former South African captain almost took Bangalore to their first win of the season when he made an unbeaten 70 against Delhi at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Given his recent performance in various T20 leagues around the globe, de Villiers is not far from hitting his straps.

Yuzvendra Chahal: With the exception of Chahal, the entire bowling unit of Bangalore is struggling. The legspinner, however, has scalped 8 sticks at an economy rate of 6.56 and is currently the holder of the purple cap. Though the Chinnaswamy is a nightmare for the slow bowlers, Chahal has always enjoyed bowling at this ground.

Andre Russell: The allrounder has sizzled with the bat on each of his 3 outings so far this year. With a strike rate of 248.43 and a tally of 15 sixes in the tournament thus far, Russell has provided the perfect finishing punch to Kolkata. His ability to clear the fence will test the bowlers on a small ground.

If you are willing to take a bit more risk in a grand league contest, maybe consider these ‘Risky Captain Choices’

Virat Kohli: Though the skipper has amassed only 78 runs in 4 innings, Kohli is too good a player to miss out for too long. With his team struggling, it is about time that Kohli produced a stellar performance to inspire his troops. With an illustrious 5026 runs for Bangalore, Kohli is the highest run-getter for the franchise by a fair distance.

Sunil Narine: Known for his crafty bowling, Narine has delivered 5 fruitless overs this year at an alarming economy rate of 11. But given his recent exploits with the bat at the top of the order and his stellar bowling record, Kolkata might bring Narine back for this encounter. The fact that Narine recorded the second-fastest 50 against Bangalore last year will only give him more confidence.

Kuldeep Yadav: Like Narine, Kuldeep has largely struggled to dislodge batsmen and has leaked runs as his economy rate of 9.10 off 3 games suggest. After enjoying a great run in the international circuit, Kuldeep will definitely come good sooner rather than later.

Expert Advice

With the vaunted duo of Kohli and de Villiers failing to fire at full throttle, it will be wise to stick to th eonly shining light of Bangalore – Yuvendra Chahal. As far as Kolkata are concerned, they are a much more settled squad and will be hoping that their spinners could come to the party soon. Watch out for Pawan Negi, who might get his chance in this game for Bangalore.

The Prediction

Kolkata have triumphed over Bangalore 4 times in both teams 5 previous encounters. Kohli’s Bangalore have even struggled against Kolkata while playing at home as they have lost 3 out of the last 5 games between the both sides played at the Chinnaswamy. Given this lopsided record and Bangalore’s recent form (or the lack of it), Kolkata will be favourites to clinch this clash and move to the top of the pile on the points table.