Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20: Round 1, Elite Group A, Mumbai vs Saurashtra, Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The Round 1 game of the Vijay Hazare trophy 2019 between Mumbai and Saurashtra will be hosted by KSCA Cricket Ground in Alur

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

This game will be live on Star Sports. Streaming available on Hotstar

Preview:

Defending champions, Mumbai begin their Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019 campaign as they face a depleted Saurashtra side on Tuesday. With Robin Uthappa leaving the side, Saurashtra has placed their faith on youth for the first couple of rounds although they come across a star-studded Mumbai side.

Mumbai boasts of the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Dhawal Kulkarni and Shivam Dube, who have ample international and IPL experience unlike their opponents, who are led by Rajasthan Royals pacer, Jaydev Unadkat. With the gulf in quality between the two sides on paper, Mumbai are the clear favourites although Saurashtra has the knack of pulling off an upset with Sheldon Jackson and D Jadeja in their ranks.

Weather Condition/Report:

There is a possible threat of rain for this game although a match should be completed. A cloud cover of 93% and humidity of 82%, as per AccuWeather, is expected which could play a part in the captain’s decision upon winning the toss.

Pitch Condition/Report:

Alur is generally a high-scoring ground with some help for the pacers and spinners. With overcast conditions on offer, the new ball bowlers will have a major role to play although the batsmen should have the final say with the average score at the ground being over 250 in the previous season.

Average score: 268 (Matches Completed in 2018/19)

Record of chasing team: Won – 2, Lost – 2

Injury and Availability News:

(Will be added when there is an update)

Probable Playing XIs:

Mumbai:

Jay Gokul Bista, Eknath Kerkar, Shreyas Iyer (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Aditya Tare (WK), Siddhesh Lad, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur, Shams Mulani, Dhawal Kulkarni and Tushar Deshpande.

Bench: Shubham Ranjane, Kruthik Hanagavadi, Shashank Attarde, Sarfaraz Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Atharva Ankolekar

Saurashtra:

Harvik Desai, Sheldon Jackson (WK), Aarpit Vasavada, Chirag Jani, Jay Chauhan, Kamlesh Makvana, Vishvaraj Jadeja, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Jaydev Unadkat (C), Prerak Mankad and Agnivesh Ayachi.

Bench: Rajdeep Darbar, Hardik Rathod, Kushang Patel and Himalaya Barad

Top Picks:

Shreyas Iyer, who captains the defending champions this season, is on roll in this format. His last two innings for India has yielded 136 runs and will be crucial at his preferred number three positions for Mumbai

Another Mumbai player who has enjoyed some success in India A Colours is Shivam Dube. He has been a standout player across all formats and is one of the players to watch out for heading into this game.

Sheldon Jackson is the lynchpin of the Saurashtra batting unit with consistent performances over the years across all three formats. With Robin Uthappa moving to Kerala, the burden of the batting unit falls upon his reliable shoulders with the former KKR player averaging nearly 40 in List A cricket

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – Sheldon Jackson, Shreyas Iyer and Shivam Dube

Vice-Captain – Dhawal Kulkarni, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja and Jay Gokul Bista

Given the nature of the pitch, Shreyas Iyer is picked ahead of Shivam Dube owing to his superior batting prowess.

Suggested Playing XI for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper – Sheldon Jackson

Batsmen –Shreyas Iyer (C), Jay Bista, V Jadeja

All-Rounders – Shivam Dube (VC), Prerak Mankad, Chirag Jani

Bowlers – D Jadeja, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat

Suggested Playing XI for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – Sheldon Jackson

Batsmen – Jay Gokul Bista, Shreyas Iyer (C), Siddhesh Lad, Aarpit Vasavada

All-Rounders –Prerak Mankad, Shivam Dube

Bowlers – Dhawal Kulkarni (VC), Tushar Deshpande, Jaydev Unadkat, D Jadeja

Expert Advice:

With this being a high scoring ground, top-order batsmen and finishers are crucial in the context of the fantasy contest with the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube and Sheldon Jackson bound to score some runs on this surface.

Similarly, the new ball bowlers will also get some swing upfront which Dhawal Kulkarni and Jaydev Unadkat can exploit.

Probable Winners:

Mumbai starts the tournament as the favourites and should get the win on Tuesday against Saurashtra.

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.