Mumbai Indians
(Sportskeeda Fantasy Guru league invite: https://fandromeda.com/ifl/champ/league/2/38531/167ccbe15cc1664c9a63c20ac4c6a55a)
Although Mumbai Indians play twice in three games, I am not going to apply Schedule Mantra here because of the dubious nature of the Wankhede surface, which could mess up things again. Also, it doesn’t help that Mumbai could react to their two losses so far by tinkering with their batting order. I am more than happy with the two players I already have in Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, both of whom provide me quality batting and bowling captaincy options as well.
Whichever way you look at it, Jos Buttler and Mitchell McClenaghan are the only other players worth considering anyway. In Wankhede, Buttler faces a tricky surface while today he will be up against one of the better bowling attacks of the tournament; McClenaghan, on the other hand, doesn’t fit into my expectations of what an overseas bowler should be capable of to get into my fantasy team.
Tim Southee could make way for either Corey Anderson or Martin Guptill. If the latter gets in, Rohit’s fantasy potential could take a hit as he will be moving down the order to accomodate him at the top. I will trade the 28-year-old out from the next match if it happens. Given how he has played so far and the kind of options Mumbai have, with Ricky Ponting at the helm, dropping Pollard can’t be ruled out as well.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Two of their top three batsmen are woefully out of the form, so it doesn’t come to me as a surprise that the Sunrisers have lost both their matches so far. With Eoin Morgan’s batting position not fixed, David Warner and Mustafizur Rahman are the only two options worth considering for this encounter.
If Sunrisers bowl first, eyes closed, Mustafizur gets in. The Bangladesh medium pacer has the potential to pick up a 4-wicket haul in each of his next 3 matches. However if they bat first, I am bit skeptical about the score they would post on the board. Anything less than 160 on this deck, and Mumbai could easy their way past playing out the left-armer.
Warner wouldn’t have it easy today, with Mumbai having a couple of in-form pace bowlers and an off-spinner in their ranks, but I trust the deck to play true and get him in. The Sunrisers captain would be my rotationary substitution, with Mustafizur taking the permanent slot in the team.
Uncapped picks: Krunal Pandya and Ashish Reddy
Ashish Reddy has delivered in both those matches he has played so far, while Krunal Pandya was pretty impressive in his first outing for Mumbai Indians. How effective Krunal is today will depend on how long Warner lasts, as being a left-arm spinner, his overs are likely to be cut off with a left-hander at the crease.
Transfers made – 2; Transfers remaining – 68
Quinton de Kock out – David Warner in
Chris Gayle out – Mustafizur Rahman in
(uncapped) Harshal Patel out – Krunal Pandya in
Batting captain – Rohit Sharma (If Martin Guptill doesn’t play)
Bowling captain – Mustafizur Rahman (If SRH bowl first)/ Jasprit Bumrah (if MI bowl first)
* If Guptill plays, get him in ahead of Warner.
