IPL 2016: Fantasy Championship guide KXIP v GL

When you have Waqar Younis doing the pitch report, do not read much into what he has to say. He predicted the Kolkata wicket to be a belter and thought the Delhi Daredevil batsmen didn’t play too well; the wicket was far from a batting paradise.

The grass on the pitch did help the seam bowlers initially but as is always the case, the spinners got a lot of purchase from the Kolkata wicket. The level of the pitch reports has gone down significantly and thus I prefer to trust my own knowledge about the pitches than what is provided to us by the likes of Waqar Younis and Danny Morrison.

KKR played the typical KKR game yesterday. Dismiss the opposition for a paltry or a below par score and then make sure that the openers gulp up most of the runs. Delhi Daredevils have a lot to ponder about but as Zaheer Khan said in his post match interview, they would be happy that they have their ‘one bad game’ out of the way.

Kings XI Punjab vs Gujarat Lions:

Shakib Al Hasan not playing meant that I had to bring in Bhuvaneshwar Kumar in my side instead of him as I didn’t feel that any other player in the KKR vs DD game would have made much impact. In retrospect, I could have gone in with Brad Hogg but then there is only so much that you can predict.

Brendon McCulum, DJ Bravo, Murali Vijay and Sandeep Sharma are already there in my team for this game.

In the last article I just gave a brief reason for selecting each one of them. I’ll be going more into detail now.

I just couldn’t leave out Brendon Mcculum. Thankfully he wasn’t listed as a wicketkeeper, else I might have had to. With an average of 32.53 in 219 T20s you certainly can’t classify him as a ‘hit or miss case’, whereas a lot of people actually think of him as that. Do not fall into that trap. If you haven’t picked him for this game, do go for him in the games to come.

DJ Bravo symbolizes what the IPL stands for; good cricket and a lot of entertainment to go with it. But as fantasy managers we are largely (or should be) concerned about the cricket part. With 298 wickets in 291 T20 games, at an average of 24.9, Bravo is one of the greatest T20 bowlers to have played the game. His dipping slow Yorkers are next to impossible to get under and his variations always fetch him wickets during the death, even if they are due to the batsman’s mistake. And with his ability to score big and quick runs if and when required, he is a must have in your team.

Murali Vijay is a calmer version of Robin Uthappa. Like Uthappa, he likes to score on the up and also use the pick up shot to good effect. And as the Mohali track wouldn’t spin much and the grass on the pitch would help the ball to come on to the bat, Vijay would feel at home. Also, you have to remember that Gujarat Lions have two good death bowlers in Faulkner and Bravo and hence if you want to pick one batsman from the Punjab side, it should be one of the openers. The lower order batsmen could find it tough to score against Bravo and Faulkner.

Sandeep Sharma can swing the ball on any ground in India. He has always been amongst the wickets in the power play and his ability to swing it both ways is what makes him a force to reckon with. He has taken 55 wickets in 45 T20 games at an average of 21.67 and an economy rate of just 7.38. Captains have usually used him for 3 overs in the powerplay and saved the one over for the death, which gives him the chance to take a few lucky scalps as well.

Now, the question is whether or not you select Glenn Maxwell. Like McCulum, he too can take the game away from the opposition in a matter of balls. But then there is the case of his poor showing in the IPL last time round where he scored just 145 runs in 11 games. His record at Mohali too hasn’t been that great and his overall T20 average of 22.58 isn’t that impressive either.

But then when it comes off, he showers you with points. So, I get him in only if Kings XI Punjab bat first because only then will he will be able to make a significant impact in the game. While chasing his scoring potential drastically decreases and that is why I resist the temptation of getting him in if Punjab bat second.

Another player whose selection (or omission) could raise a few questions is Suresh Raina. While he hasn’t been in good form off late, he does wear the ‘cape’ when playing in the IPL. But my team setup doesn’t allow me to transfer him in and thus I only hope that he continues playing the way he has been for the past year or so. If you are hell bent on getting him in, do make sure that Mitch Johnson is not playing in the Punjab team because he will try and bounce him out. And more often then not he will succeed.

Captain for this game: DJ Bravo

Safest choice. Will walk back at least with a couple of wickets.