Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20: Quarterfinal 3, Punjab vs Tamil Nadu, Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The 3rd Quarter Final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20 between Tamil Nadu and Punjab will be hosted by M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.

The match starts at 9:00 AM local time (IST) (3:30 AM GMT).

Preview for Dream11 Fantasy

The first of two quarter-finals being played on Monday sees hot favourites Tamil Nadu pitted against Punjab in Bengaluru. Tamil Nadu topped Elite Group C with a perfect record to its credit. Their big guns, Dinesh Karthik and Murali Vijay have stood up when necessary although it is Baba Aparajith, who stands out for them. With two batsmen scoring in excess of 450 runs this season, Tamil Nadu’s batting is in fine form.

In contrast, Punjab entirely depends on its bowling unit with the trio of Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma and Karan Kaila doing most of the damage. Although they do have a couple of talented batsmen, none of them has crossed 200 runs in the tournament so far.

Ideally, Tamil Nadu will be the overwhelming favourites for this game although Punjab does have the experience and talent to upset them. In what should be a competitive battle between Tamil Nadu’s batting unit and Punjab’s bowling unit, both teams would have to deal with the threat of rain as well on Monday.

Weather Condition/Report:

Just as the tournament enters the business end, the threat of rain looms large in Bengaluru. Nevertheless, a shortened game should be completed considering the world-class drainage system at the stadium. The temperature expected to hover around 26 degrees Celsius. Cloud cover and humidity of 92% and 84%, according to AccuWeather, could also a play part in this quarter-final.

Pitch Condition/Report:

The pitch at the Chinnaswamy stadium has traditionally been a high-scoring one with the average score this year being 270. Over the last few years, spinners have found extra help which will be crucial in the context of the game. Teams should opt to chase upon winning the toss with rain playing a huge part in the decision.

Average first innings score: 270 (6 Vijay Hazare Trophy Games in 2019-20)

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

Injury and Availability News:

(Will be added when there is an update)

Probable Playing XIs for Dream11 Fantasy

Punjab:

Abhishek Sharma, Sanvir Singh, Anmolpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh (C), Sharad Lumba, Gurkeerat Singh, Karan Kaila, Anmol Malhotra (WK), Mayank Markande, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma

Bench: Prabhsimran Singh, Baltej Singh, Abhijeet Garg, Akul Pandove

Tamil Nadu:

Murali Vijay, Abhinav Mukund, Shahrukh Khan, Baba Aparajith, Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik (C & WK),  Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Murugan Ashwin, M Mohammed, R Sai Kishore

Bench: Hari Nishanth, M Siddharth, J Kousik, K Vignesh, Abhishek Tanwar

Top Picks:

Punjab’s new-ball duo of Sandeep Sharma and Siddarth Kaul has lived up to the hype this season. With a whopping 33 wickets among them, wickets in the first ten overs are a given for Punjab and the fantasy users. Although Anmolpreet Singh has only amassed 185 runs, he is a very solid top-order batsman who is due for a big knock in the quarter-final.

With 470 runs at an average of 78.33, Baba Aparajith has stood out for Tamil Nadu among the likes of Murali Vijay and Dinesh Karthik. With his added bowling ability, Baba Aparajith’s form can be banked upon for this game. These players should be picked in your Dream11 Fantasy team.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – Baba Aparajith, Sandeep Sharma, Dinesh Karthik

Vice-Captain – Vijay Shankar, Anmolpreet Singh, Siddharth Kaul

Suggested Playing XI for Head to Head/Small Leagues for Dream11 Fantasy:

Keeper –Dinesh Karthik

Batsmen – Baba Aparajith (C), Anmolpreet Singh, Sharad Lumba, Murali Vijay, Shahrukh Khan

All-Rounders – Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Vijay Shankar

Bowlers – Siddharth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma (VC), M Mohammed

Suggested Playing XI for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues for Dream11 Fantasy:

Keeper – Dinesh Karthik (C)

Batsmen – Shahrukh Khan, Abhishek Sharma, Baba Aparajith, Abhinav Mukund

All-Rounders – Vijay Shankar, Karan Kaila, Sanvir Singh

Bowlers – Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, Murugan Ashwin, T Natarajan

Expert Advice:

None of the Punjab batsmen has crossed 200 runs this season with their top scorer being Gurkeerat Singh with 192 runs. Punjab has depended on their bowling unit to bail them out more often than not. Avoid picking too many Punjab batsmen in your Dream11 Fantasy team for this game.

Probable Winners:

Although both teams are strong on paper, Tamil Nadu’s strength in batting standouts making them the favourites against Punjab.

*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