Indian T20 League 2019: Match 23, Chennai vs Kolkata – Dream 11 and Dotball Prediction

Chennai will face an in-form Kolkata in a hugely anticipated clash at the MA Chidambaram on Tuesday. Both teams have lost only one game out of 5 but Kolkata has a much superior net run rate – courtesy one Andre Russell – which puts them at the top of the table. It is a chance for either team to extend their domination in the tournament and consolidate that top position. The firepower in Kolkata’s batting has bailed them out of tricky situations but they will be up against one of the most formidable bowling attacks in the competition and on one of the trickiest surfaces too. Will they prevail one more time? Either way, it will be a visual delight.

For fantasy teams, the modus operandi will be to stack teams up with Kolkata’s batters alongside bowlers from the Chennai team. The likes of Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir have not only picked wickets but have also restricted run-making as their economy rates of 5.58 and 5.38 respectively reflect. The blazing form of Andre Russell could well spoil that.

Injury Updates: Dwayne Bravo will watch the action from the sidelines due to a hamstring injury.

Head to Head: Last 5 games

Chennai – 3 wins

Kolkata – 2 wins

Likely XIs

Chennai: MS Dhoni(c), Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayadu, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir, Scott Kuggelejin

Kolkata: Dinesh Karthik(c), Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Harry Gurney

Dotball Prediction:

Dotball team for Head to Head/Small Contests:

Wicket-Keeper: MS Dhoni

Batsmen: Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, Shubman Gill

All-Rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Andre Russell (C), Shane Watson (VC)

Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna

Captain and Vice-Captain choices:

Captain: Such was Kolkata’s dominance in their previous encounter against Rajasthan that they did not require the services of their talismanic allrounder Andre Russell. Playing against heavyweights Chennai, Russell will have to play a key role to ensure his side retains their position at the top of the ladder. A strike rate of 268.83 after facing 77 balls and an average of 103.5 in IPL 2019 will certainly raise the heat on the Chennai bowlers.

Vice-Captain: After an alarming dip in form, Watson rediscovered his mojo and played outstandingly well in various T20 leagues around the world. This season, however, he hasn’t got going yet but has shown glimpses of his form in patches. With Dhoni giving him a long rope, Watson doesn’t look too far away from striking form.

Fantasy Tips

Skipper Dhoni is the leading run-getter for Chennai scoring 159 runs after being dismissed only once. His telling blows towards the end of Chennai’s innings have helped them close out crucial games. His teammate, Raina, is only one among two batsmen to record over 5000 runs in the league and if we go by the law of averages, it is about time he starts firing all cylinders.

Safe Captain choices:

Andre Russell

Shane Watson

Sunil Narine

Risky Captain Choices:

Chris Lynn

Nitish Rana

Kedar Jadhav

Dotball Team for Large/Grand Contests:

Wicket-Keeper: Dinesh Karthik

Batsmen: Faf du Plessis, Chris Lynn, Nitish Rana (VC)

All-Rounders: Kedar Jadhav, Sunil Narine (C), Ravindra Jadeja, Andre Russell

Bowlers: Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar

Captain and Vice-Captain choices:

Captain: While Narine’s bowling form might be a little off, he has proved his utility with the bat in hand when he struck a power-packed 25-ball 47 against Rajasthan on Sunday. Bowling wise, he is starting to get into his groove and is likely to get among the wickets soon.

Vice-Captain: In 4 innings this year, Nitish Rana has registered 3 scores over 30 and went on to convert 2 of them into fifties. The left-hander has looked at the top of the game and has enjoyed thwarting spinners. he will play a pivotal role in the middle overs against the menacing spinners of Chennai.

Fantasy Tips

Going by Dhoni’s recent struggle against the leg-spinners, Chawla could be handy customer against the former India captain. For Kolkata, Chris Lynn has got himself into some form and will look to play a significant knock. Karthik will want to step up too, considering his prowess against the spinners.

Dream 11 Prediction

Suggested Playing XI No. 1 for Head to Head/Small Leagues

Wicket-keeper – MS Dhoni

Batsmen – Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis (C), Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana

All-Rounders – Andre Russell, Sunil Narine (VC)

Bowlers – Imran Tahir, Harbhajan Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harry Gurney.

Fantasy Tips

Harry Gurney made a dream debut as he returned with impressive figures of 2 for 25. His variations in pace will be handy on the slow surface of the Chepauk. Likewise, Tahir will yet again relish bowling at the Chidambaram Stadium.

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Grand/ Mega Leagues:

Wicket-keeper – Dinesh Karthik (VC)

Batsmen – Suresh Raina (C), Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa

All-Rounders – Ravindra Jadeja, Andre Russell

Bowlers – Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla.

Fantasy Tips

Rayudu’s imminent challenge will be to adapt to playing in the middle overs since Chennai will be using du Plessis at the top of the order. Rayudu has enough skills to flourish in the middle and make useful runs for his side. Chahar has continuously done the job for Dhoni and even sizzled at the death in the previous game. His outswingers will test Kolkata’s top order

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