Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20: Round 3, Elite Group B, Punjab vs Vidarbha, Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The Round 3 match in the Elite Group B of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20 will be played between Punjab and Vidarbha at the Gujarat State Fertilizer Corporation Ground in Vadodara.

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

Preview:

Punjab were lucky enough to get a chance to bat as many as 42 overs in the 2nd round match against Himachal Pradesh. They could consider themselves to have the game ended in a washout due to the low total they posted. Batting first in helpful conditions, Punjab collapsed from 44/0 to 92/6 in the space of 15 overs after Shubman Gill’s dismissal. They eventually finished with 169/9 in the restricted 42 overs.

In response, Himachal were 22/1 in 8 overs before another rain break brought an end to the match without the winner being decided. They will now face Vidarbha in their 2nd match whose first game against Delhi on Tuesday got abandoned. Punjab and Vidarbha featured in Group A in the previous edition of Vijay Hazare Trophy and finished 4th and 6th respectively without qualifying for the knockouts.

Weather Condition/Report:

The GSFC Cricket ground in Vadodara witnessed 50 overs of play in the game between Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. However, on Thursday, even that might be tough looking at the weather forecast. Thunderstorms are expected during the day with more than 60% chance of rain.

Pitch Condition/Report:

Vadodara’s GSFC Ground will host a List A game after 13 years. None of the previous matches witnessed even one 250+ total. Even the three T20 matches played in 2017 recorded totals below 160. The continuous rains could leave out moisture and pacers will be benefited.

Average first innings score: N/A

Record of chasing teams: N/A

Injury and Availability News:

Shubman Gill is expected to play a couple of matches before joining the Indian Test squad.

Umesh Yadav will be part of the Board President’s XI game starting on 26th September.

Faiz Fazal was added to Vidarbha squad as the 16th member after recovering from an injury.

Probable Playing XIs:

Punjab:

Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Anmolpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh (C), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Sharad Lumba, Anmol Malhotra (WK), Siddharth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Mayank Markande, Karan Kaila.

Bench: Prabhsimran Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Akul Partap, Baltej Singh.

Vidarbha:

Jitesh Sharma (WK), Faiz Fazal, Wasim Jaffer (C), Atharva Taide, Ganesh Satish, Darshan Nalkande, Apoorva Wankhade, Akshay Wakhare, Akshay Karnewar, Yash Thakur, Shrikant Wagh.

Bench: R Sanjay, Akshay Wadkar, Umesh Yadav, Aditya Sarvate, Rushabh Rathod.

Top Picks:

Darshan Nalkande made his List A debut last year with a brilliant all-round performance. He took two wickets as a first change bowler. Nalkande walked out to bat at No.9 to score a 30-ball 53 with three sixes. His knock helped Vidarbha chase down 83 runs in the last ten overs. He followed it with two 3-wicket hauls to finish the tournament with 8 wickets in only 3 games.

Atharva Taide scored 311 runs at 50+ average in his debut season also took two wickets. Siddharth Kaul has a decent record in the List A format as he picks up a wicket every 28.5 balls. Ganesh Satish scored three fifties in seven innings in the previous edition. Anmolpreet Singh played only two matches in 2018/19 Vijay Hazare but ended up scoring two tons.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Darshan Nalkande, Atharva Taide

Vice-Captain – Ganesh Satish, Mandeep Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Anmolpreet Singh

Abhishek Sharma is opening the innings for Punjab and will be bowling a minimum of seven overs in a full match.

Suggested Playing XI for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper – Anmol Malhotra

Batsmen – Shubman Gill (VC), Anmolpreet Singh, Atharva Taide, Ganesh Satish

All-Rounders – Abhishek Sharma, Akshay Karnewar

Bowlers – Siddharth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Yash Thakur, Darshan Nalkande (C)

Suggested Playing XI for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – Anmol Malhotra

Batsmen – Shubman Gill, Mandeep Singh, Atharva Taide (VC), Wasim Jaffer

All-Rounders – Abhishek Sharma (C), Shrikant Wagh

Bowlers – Mayank Markande, Sandeep Sharma, Yash Thakur, Darshan Nalkande

Expert Advice:

Vidarbha’s inconsistency in team selections is something that would worry the fantasy players given the fewer chances of toss update before the deadline. Vidarbha used as many as 21 players in the previous edition.

Probable Winners:

Given the chances of a low-scoring game, Vidarbha is expected to pip 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.