With a place in the final at stake, Gujarat Lions and Sunrisers Hyderabad clash in the second qualifier tonight. Will the Sunrisers claw their way back or will the Lions set up another date with RCB at the same venue where they lost to them twice? Whichever way the match swings, both sides need their big players to step up on the big night. So how should your fantasy team lineup in that case? Here’s an analysis:
Batsmen:
The way Brendon McCullum and Aaron Finch have batted in the last couple of games doesn’t ooze confidence one little bit. They are also very expensive and that makes it even tougher to pick them. But if you are a gambler, then McCullum could prove to be your kind of batsman. But what if SRH use Bipul Sharma against these two openers like RCB used Iqbal Abdulla? You expect them to be better prepared this time though. David Warner is surely someone you should have. The Australian knows that if his team loses, they will be out. He will be desperately looking to make this last chance count.
Even though he will cost 10,000 rupees, you have to say that Warner is a safe bet. If he fires big time, you will have a lot of catching up to do. Suresh Raina is another option but he is quite expensive. It will be quite tough to pick both Warner and Raina in the same XI and even if you do, then you will have to sacrifice in some other department. Yuvraj Singh’s recent form has been quite good and with no extreme pace to trouble him from the opposition camp, he can fetch you plenty of points. Dwayne Smith has been delivering either with bat or ball in the last few games so make him a certainty.
Wicket-keeper batsman:
It comes down to Naman Ojha and Dinesh Karthik. The Lions keeper showed plenty of promise early on in the tournament but hasn’t really kicked on since then. But Ojha on the other hand hasn’t fired at all in the tournament so picking Karthik sounds like the safer option since he gets to bat at No. 4. Ojha bats too low down the order to make any real impact.
All-rounder:
If you are looking for a gamble, go for Bipul Sharma. Or if you are looking to bring in Warner and Raina, then you will have to free up money elsewhere and Bipul can do exactly that. Else, the sensible option would be to pick Moises Henriques after his performance in the previous game. He delivered with both bat and ball and has also returned to the No. 3 slot which gives him more scope to score big. Avoiding Dwayne Bravo would make sense because of his price tag and also the fact that he hasn’t been at his best in the tournament.
Bowlers:
Go for Gujarat’s new ball bowlers. Praveen Kumar is a safer option as he gives you more control but Dhawal is an attacking option. If it is his night, then he will end up picking loads of wickets like he did in the first qualifier. Both will cost 6000 rupees.
Barindar Sran is another option considering his price. Pick him and hope he gets a few on the big night. If you miss out on picking Barindar, you will have to do away in some other department else the budget will hurt. Also a call needs to be taken between Mustafizur Rahman and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Even though the chances of both delivering on the night are equal, you will probably have to pick only one if you are picking the Lions new ball bowlers.
Mustafizur hasn’t been amongst the wickets in the last couple of games so he will be more than determined to deliver in this game. The fact that the likes of Finch, McCullum, Smith and Karthik haven’t played him much could stand in good stead as the likelihood of him picking up their wickets will increase.
My ideal team: David Warner, Dwayne Smith, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Moises Henriques, Barindar Sran, Praveen Kumar, Dhawal Kulkarni and Mustafizur Rahman.
DISCLAIMER: The article just contains suggestions and Sportskeeda are not responsible or liable for the outcome.
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