KPL 2019: Match 5, Bengaluru Blasters vs Bijapur Bulls: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The 5th match of the Karnataka Premier League 2019 will be played between Bengaluru Blasters and Bijapur Bulls at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

The match starts at 7:00 PM local time (IST) (1:30 PM GMT).

This game will be live on Star Sports and live streaming is available on Hotstar.

Preview:

The defending champions Bijapur Bulls will be the last team in the action as they face the host Bengaluru Blasters on Sunday night at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Interestingly, it was the Bengaluru Blasters whom the Bijapur team defeated in the 2018 edition final to lift the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) for the 2nd time. Thus, they became the first side to win KPL twice having won the 2015 edition as well.

The Bengaluru Blasters’ opening game of this season against the Mysuru Warriors turned out to be a washout. After losing the toss, the Blaster made 88/3 in 13 overs before the rain intervened the tournament opener. Rohan Kadam (23) and Nikin Jose (28*) got starts on what looked like a tricky pitch. The Blasters are led by Rongsen Jonathan while Bharath Chipli is the captain of the Bijapur side.

Weather Condition/Report:

The weather forecast for Bangalore on Sunday is no different from that of Saturday. A high 80% of rain chances were predicted over the weekend but both the matches on Saturday went without any interventions. The organizers would be hoping another day of unpredictable Bangalore weather for the double-header.

Pitch Condition/Report:

The wet conditions over the last few days seem to have left a bit of moisture in the pitch. The pitches have been fresh as it is the start of the season. This left the pitch a little sticky and tough for the stroke-making. The same might not be seen a couple of days later once the surfaces get dried.

Average first innings score: 164 (Completed KPL matches since 2018)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 2, Lost – 3

Injury and Availability News:

(Will be added when there is an update)

Probable Playing XIs:

Bengaluru Blasters:

Sharath BR (WK), Rohan Kadam, Nikin Jose, Rongsen Jonathan (C), Naga Bharath, Manoj Bhandage, Bharath Dhuri, V Koushik, Rohan Raju, Bharath Devaraj, Anand Doddamani.

Bench: Kishore Kamath, Anil IG, Nishant S Shekhawat, Aditya Goyal, Anuraj Bajpai, Muthanna Chandrasekhar, Kuldeep Kumar, Rishi Bopanna.

Bijapur Bulls:

Bharath Chipli (C), KC Cariappa, Prateek Jain, Bhareth NP, Naveen MG, SL Akshay, Rajoo Bhatkal, BA Mohit (WK), Suneel Raju, Pranav Bhatia, Liyan Khan.

Bench: Shimon Luiz, Chiranjeevi GS, Swapnil Yelave, Samarth Ooty, R Praveen Kumar, Suraj Kamath, Jaswath Acharya.

Top Picks:

Rohan Kadam did make a good start resuming his exploits in a record-breaking Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year. KC Cariappa had a disastrous 2016 and 2017 where he picked only four wickets across 15 matches and his economy read 8. However, he came back strongly in 2018 with eight wickets at an average of 13.87 in six games during KPL 2018. He conceded runs at an economy of 4.62 only.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain options – Rohan Kadam, Bharath Chipli, Naveen MG

Vice-captain options – Nikin Jose, Rongsen Jonathan, Suneel Raju

Naveen MG has scored 356 runs and picked up 21 wickets across the 21 KPL games he played since the start of 2016.

Suggested Playing XI for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper – Sharath BR

Batsmen – Rohan Kadam (C), Nikin Jose, Bharath Chipli (VC)

All-Rounders – Naveen MG, KC Cariappa, Bhareth NP, Manoj Bhandage

Bowlers – V Koushik, Anand Doddamani, SL Akshay

Suggested Playing XI for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – Naga Bharath

Batsmen – Rohan Kadam, Nikin Jose (VC), Bharath Chipli, Liyan Khan

All-Rounders – Naveen MG (C), KC Cariappa, Manoj Bhandage

Bowlers – V Koushik, SL Akshay, Prateek Jain

Expert Advice:

Suneel Raju, Rajoo Bhatkal and Rongsen Jonathan are other players with good fantasy potential who could not be fitted in either of our Suggested Playing XIs.

Probable Winners:

Bengaluru Blasters might face a tough fight from Bijapur Bulls on their way to first win.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.