Indian T20 League 2019, Match 38: Kolkata vs Hyderabad - Fantain Fantasy Cricket Tips

Kolkata started the season on a high, but have lost their last four games successively, the latest being one against Bangalore at home. Thus the team need to win all their remaining games to qualify for the playoffs, the first of which is against Hyderabad, match no. 38 of the Indian T20 league. Hyderabad have been the second most dominant team in the tournament after Chennai, and is a tough nut to crack in their own backyard. Here is all you need to know for both the teams before picking your Fantain XI.

Venue – Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

Team news –

Kolkata

Andre Russell played against Bangalore despite an injury and looked in discomfort throughout. It remains to be seen if he is fit for the Hyderabad game.

Likely playing XI – Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (C & WK), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, KC Cariappa, Prasidh Krishna, Harry Gurney

Hyderabad

After a dominating performance against Chennai, it is unlikely that Hyderabad will make any changes going into this game.

Likely playing XI – David Warner, Jonny Bairstow (WK), Kane Williamson (C), Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, Vijay Shankar, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed

Top picks

Andre Russell – All the games that Kolkata have won this season were due to Andre Russell, and all the games that they lost were because Russell didn’t get sufficient support from any other batsman. This explains how important the all-rounder is to Kolkata’s fortunes. The best hitter of this season, Russell should be the first and top pick on your Fantain Fantasy XI.

Prasidh Krishna – not Sunil Narine, but it is Prasidh Krishna who is Kolkata’s best bet in the bowling department. The pacer from Karnataka has been a consistent performer for the team, but needs to pick up wickets a bit more often.

David Warner – once again, the hosts will be heavily reliant on opening duo Jonny Bairstow and David Warner. The two have been the cornerstone of Hyderabad’s batting this season, especially since their middle order has been very weak. You can also consider having one of these two as your skipper on Fantain XI.

Rashid Khan – once again the young Afghanistan leg spinner will play a crucial role in the game. He is also handy with the bat down the order. Rashid is a two-dimensional cricketer and can get you some quick points on your Fantain Fantasy XI.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar – on the pace-friendly wicket in Hyderabad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed will come to good use. Kumar, especially, can stop the flow of runs in the death overs.

Fantain Fantasy XI

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