Ranji Trophy 2018-19, Mumbai vs Baroda – Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips

Mumbai are having a tough season at the moment having earned as few as five points from the four matches they have played including an outright defeat against Gujarat. The 41-time Ranji Trophy Champions have lost a few of their key players and are almost without a bowling attack with any experience, mostly due to injuries. Siddhesh Lad, the man in crisis is left to lead the team in their tough times.

They are currently placed at No.8 out of the 9 teams in the Elite Group A and will need some miracle in the next four matches to finish in top five of the points table and make it to the quarter-finals. They will be up against an in-form Baroda team in the sixth round match at the Wankhede with Shreyas Iyer returning from India ‘A’ tour.

The Kedar Devdhar-led team weren’t any better than Mumbai until an outright with against Chhattisgarh in the last encounter. Their chances against Mumbai will be boosted with the inclusion of swashbuckling all-rounder Hardik Pandya who is eyeing to prove his fitness.

Match Details:

The Ranji Trophy game between Mumbai and Baroda will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The match starts on 14th December 2018 at 9:30 AM IST (Local time) (4:00 AM GMT). This match will be streamed live on Hotstar.

Recent Form:

Mumbai:

First innings lead in a draw against Railways.

First innings lead conceded in a draw against Karnataka.

Lost by nine wickets against Gujarat.

First innings lead conceded in a draw against Maharashtra.

Baroda:

Lost by nine wickets against Gujarat.

First innings lead in a draw against Maharashtra.

First innings lead conceded in a draw against Vidarbha.

First innings lead in a draw against Saurashtra.

Won by nine wickets against Chhattisgarh.

Pitch Condition/Report:

In the previous three Ranji Trophy matches played at the Wankhede, the teams batting first struggled against pacers. The first day stays in favour of the seamers before batsmen enjoy runs. Teams will be wanting to bowl first at this venue in order to give themselves full chance of taking maximum points.

Squads:

Mumbai:

Siddhesh Lad (C), Shreyas Iyer, Jay Bista, Aditya Tare, Eknath Kerkar, Shivam Dube, Akash Parkar, Karsh Kothari, Vikrant Auti, Dhrumil Matkar, Royston Dias, Minad Manjrekar, Shubham Ranjane, Bhupen Lalwani and Badre Alam.

Baroda:

Kedar Devdhar (C), Aditya Waghmode, Vishnu Solanki, Yusuf Pathan, Swapnil Singh, Bhargav Bhatt, Soeb Tai, Rishi Arothe, Lukman Meriwala, Shivalik Sharma, Mitesh Patel, Dhiren Mistry, Soyeb Soparia, Pratyush Kumar, Hardik Pandya.

Probable XI:

Mumbai:

Siddhesh Lad (C), Shreyas Iyer, Jay Bista, Aditya Tare, Eknath Kerkar, Shubham Ranjane, Shivam Dube, Akash Parkar, Dhrumil Matkar, Royston Dias, Badre Alam.

Baroda:

Kedar Devdhar (C), Aditya Waghmode, Vishnu Solanki, Yusuf Pathan, Swapnil Singh, Hardik Pandya, Mitesh Patel, Dhiren Mistry, Bhargav Bhatt, Rishi Arothe, Lukman Meriwala.

Power Picks:

Yusuf Pathan has scored 345 runs across seven innings this season with a century and two fifties, one of them being 99. The senior pro is expected to hold the key once again with the confidence of a match-winning knock in the last game Chhattisgarh.

Best Playing XI:

Aditya Tare, Siddhesh Lad, Jay Bista, Kedar Devdhar, Yusuf Pathan, Swapnil Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rishi Arothe, Lukman Meriwala, Royston Dias.

Captain and Vice-captain Selection:

Shivam Dube was among the top three performers in each of the first three matches of this Ranji season. He should be the captain of the fantasy XI or at least the vice-captain. Siddhesh Lad has been consistent and can be considered for one multiplier along with the Baroda skipper Kedar Devdhar. Hardik Pandya can also be a decent vice-captain option.

Expert Advice:

Mumbai are ought to make quite a few changes to their playing XI, leaving us to pick the players who have higher chances of featuring in this game – Lad, Iyer, Dube, Bista, Tare, Akash Parkar, Ranjane, Royston Dias, being constant. The players in batsman’s category are with heavy price tags as a result only two of three players with 10 credits – Lad, Devdhar, and Iyer can be picked for making a good XI.

Probable Winners:

Baroda are expected to take the first-innings lead like in the previous season match against Mumbai at the same venue. However, they will be eyeing an outright win to strengthen their position in the points tally.

*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.

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