Indian T20 League 2019, Match 48: Hyderabad v Punjab  - Dream 11 and Dotball Fantasy Cricket Tips and Match Updates

Both Hyderabad and Punjab were off to a rollicking start to the season but have lost their way in the middle and find themselves in a peculiar spot. Hyderabad have only two wins to show in their previous 7 games while Punjab have a solitary win in their last 5 games. A series of losses have pushed them to the 4th and 5th spot respectively which makes this clash ever so interesting.

A win will help either team to stay afloat in the competition and a loss could all but put an end to the misery of the team. Hyderabad will miss the services of Johnny Bairstow but will look to exploit their home advantage when they host Punjab at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium on Monday.

Fantasy team-wise, Hyderabad’s rickety middle order could crumble against Punjab’s spin contingent – Ravi and Murugan Ashwin – which make both of them good picks. It will also be wise to punt on David Warner who is having a dream season. KL Rahul and Chris Gayle have provided quick starts and are in too good form to miss out in this high-octane clash.

Like Hyderabad, Punjab’s middle-order hasn’t really fired which will keep Rashid Khan & Co interested. Punjab prevailed in a close game when both teams met earlier in the season and will again hold an edge against a Hyderabad side who have consistently failed to get runs on the board.

Head to Head: Last 5 games

Hyderabad: 2

Punjab: 3

Likely XIs

Hyderabad:

Wicket-keeper: Wriddhiman Saha

Batsmen: David Warner, Kane Williamson (C), Deepak Hooda, Manish Pandey

All-Rounders: Vijay Shankar, Shakib Al Hasan.

Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddharth Kaul

Punjab:

Wicket-keeper: Nicholas Pooran

Batsmen: KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, David Miller, Mandeep Singh

All-Rounders: Ravichandran Ashwin (C)

Bowlers: Murugan Ashwin, Hardus Viljoen, Mohammed Shami, Ankit Rajpoot

Dotball Prediction:

Dotball team for Head to Head/Small Contests:

Wicket-keeper: KL Rahul (C)

Batsmen: Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Agarwal

All-Rounders: Vijay Shankar, Ravichandran Ashwin

Bowlers: Rashid Khan (VC), Hardus Viljoen, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Shami

Captain and Vice-Captain choices:

Captain: Rahul has played a touch more responsibly this year and has restrained from playing high-risk shots which has brought him consistency. The stylish opener has tallied 441 runs in 11 games at an impressive average of 55.12. The form he is in at the moment, he is likely to produce another masterclass against a bowling attack which has failed to pick wickets during the middle stages of the game.

Vice-Captain: Rashid has been economical but has failed to capture bucketful of wickets. He took a beating in the previous two games and will be eyeing to turn it around against Punjab’s underperforming middle order.

Fantasy Tips

Nicholas Pooran can make a huge difference and could be the force Punjab were looking for in the middle. Keep an eye on Vijay Shankar, who hasn’t really got going yet and will be eager to make an impact.

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Safe Captain Choices:

KL Rahul

Rashid Khan

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar

Risky Captain Choices:

Chris Gayle

Vijay Shankar

Manish Pandey

Dotball Team for Large/Grand Contests:

Wicket-keeper: Wriddhiman Saha

Batsmen: Manish Pandey (C), Kane Williamson, Chris Gayle (VC), David Miller

All-Rounders: Ravichandran Ashwin, Shakib Al Hasan

Bowlers: Ankit Rajpoot, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Khaleel Ahmed

Captain and Vice-Captain choices:

Captain: Pandey was made to warm the bench in a few games before he rose to the occasion and smacked two brash yet stylish fifties on his return. He is batting with a lot more freedom but has a tight technique to keep the good balls out. Being a good player of spin bowling will help him counter Punjab’s decent spin resources.

Vice-Captain: Gayle has not only been consistent but has maintained an ideal tempo at the start of the innings as his strike rate of 162.04 suggests. He will have an engaging battle with Rashid Khan and looks likely to boss that one.

Fantasy Tips

Shakib will have to step up and use his international experience to end Hyderabad’s poor run in the middle. Ravi Ashwin has been in top form this year and will play a pivotal role in restricting a lackluster Hyderabad middle-order.

Dream 11 Prediction

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

Wicket-keeper – Nicholas Pooran

Batsmen – David Warner (C), Manish Pandey, Chris Gayle (VC), Mayank Agarwal

All-Rounders – Vijay Shankar, Ravi Ashwin

Bowlers – Rashid Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Murugan Ashwin

Fantasy Tips

Mayank Agarwal has had a decent run in the season and has all attributes to deliver the goods against an attack that consists of Bhuvneshwar and Rashid Khan. Shami is a wicket-taking bowler and could inflict damage in the latter part of the innings.

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

Keeper – Wriddhiman Saha

Batsmen – David Warner, Manish Pandey (C), Kane Williamson, David Miller, KL Rahul (VC)

All-Rounders – Shakib Al Hasan, Ravi Ashwin

Bowlers – Siddarth Kaul, Mohammed Shami, Murugan Ashwin

Fantasy Tips

Murugan Ashwin hasn’t been amongst the wickets but has been successful in restricting the run scoring as he has conceded runs at the rate of 6.64 per over which is the best among bowlers in the Punjab camp.

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