Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy 2018-19: Karnataka vs Bengal: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Both Karnataka and Bengal teams kick-started their respective Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 campaigns with convincing wins on Thursday. Skipper Manish Pandey scored 74 off just 39 balls with six fours and four sixes as Karnataka posted 169/6 in their 20 overs. Assam were five down for just 61 runs on the board but fifties from No.6 and No.7 batsmen helped them to finish on 154/7 and bring down the margin to 15 runs.

On the other hand, Bengal put on a record total against Mizoram as Abhimanyu Easwaran scored an unbeaten 107 from only 56 deliveries. Shreevats Goswami too scored a 33-ball 55 at the top as they finished on 221/4. Mizoram were bowled out for only 62 runs in reply as Bengal registered a record 159-run win. 16-year-old leg-spinner Prayas Barman registered figures of 4/14 in the three overs he bowled on his T20 debut.

Match Details:

The Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy 2018-19 match between Karnataka and Bengal will be played at the DRIEMS Ground in Cuttack.

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

List of broadcasted matches from the tournament on Day 2:

Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD (Live Streaming on Hotstar):

Delhi vs Manipur and Nagaland vs Andhra

Live Streaming on Hotstar:

Vidarbha vs Bihar and Gujarat vs Rajasthan

Pitch Condition/Report:

The DRIEMS Ground in Cuttack has witnessed some good scoring T20 matches over the years. Five of the last six T20 games hosted by this venue saw scores over 150. Given the way both the sides batted in their respective first games, anything over 160 can be expected from the team batting first.

Average first innings score: 154.67 (Last six T20s)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 4, Lost – 2

Probable XIs:

Karnataka:

Rohan Kadam, Sharath BR (WK), Karun Nair, Manish Pandey (C), Krishnamurthy Siddharth, Manoj S Bhandage, Jagadeesha Suchith, Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun, KC Cariappa, Prasidh Krishna.

Bench: Mayank Agarwal, Shreyas Gopal, Luvnith Sisodia, V Koushik.

Bengal:

Shreevats Goswami, Vivek Singh, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Manoj Tiwary (C), Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Pradipta Pramanik, Ritwik Chowdhury, Kanishk Seth, Prayas Barman, Ashok Dinda, Sayan Ghosh.

Bench: Dwaipayan Bhattacharjee, Shahbaz Ahmed, Writtick Chatterjee, Ishan Porel.

Injury and Availability Updates:

Mayank Agarwal missed the first game due to pain in the neck. He might not play the game against Bengal as well.

Power Picks:

Since the start of 2017, Shreevats Goswami has scored as many as eight half-centuries from 13 innings for Bengal in T20 cricket. He has scored 630 runs in those 13 games at an average of 57.27. Goswami will be hoping to continue his T20 consistency when they face Karnataka on Friday.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain options – Manish Pandey, Shreevats Goswami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Jagadeesha Suchith

Vice-captain options – Vivek Singh, Manoj Tiwary, Karun Nair, Prayas Barman

Suggested Playing XI #1 for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper – Shreevats Goswami

Batters – Manoj Tiwary, Abhimanyu Easwaran (VC), Manish Pandey (C), Vivek Singh, Karun Nair

All-Rounders – Vinay Kumar

Bowlers – Abhimanyu Mithun, Jagadeesha Suchith, Prayas Barman, Pradipta Pramanik

Suggested Playing XI #2 for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – Shreevats Goswami (C)

Batters – Manoj Tiwary, Rohan Kadam, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Manish Pandey (VC), Vivek Singh

All-Rounders – Vinay Kumar

Bowlers – Abhimanyu Mithun, Sayan Ghosh, Prayas Barman, Prasidh Krishna

Expert Advice:

Both the teams are expected to go unchanged after a victory in the first match. Shreyas Gopal has rarely been the first option in the T20 format for Karnataka.

Probable Winners:

Karnataka is expected to have an upper hand over Bengal going by their performances in the first match.

*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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