IPL 2014: Fantasy Guru - Pitches being more predictable helps

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In this type of fantasy cricket, while assembling your playing 11 for the two matches, make sure you don’t miss out on players like Pravin Tambe, Kevon Cooper, Praveen Kumar, Rahul Shukla and Karun Nair who could prove to be the differential at a comparatively lower rate. While you can play for free, if you choose to play with an entry fee to Rs 35, you can win Rs 300. You can pay upto Rs 1,150 and win Rs 10,000 in cash for every round.

I didn’t make a couple of changes I had planned to – bringing in Kevin Pietersen and Dinesh Karthik – for a number of reasons went against them.

1. The pitch at Hyderabad not being a turner, which would mean both Aaron Finch and David Warner coming back into my plans.2. Delhi Daredevils bringing in Murali Vijay and sticking with Mayank Agarwal, which meant Dinesh Karthik could bat as low as No. 6 and Pietersen could be back to No. 4.3. Royal Challengers Bangalore bringing in Muttiah Muralitharan, which meant Kevin Pietersen had to attack Yuzvendra Chahal.4. The rain threat around the match that could have wasted two precious transfers, as Delhi Daredevils were chasing.

So the team would look quite different, but these are the last minute changes you need to do as per the demands. The substitutions that I make have logical reasons, and hence they could be changed at the last minute depending upon the conditions and the opposition.

Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Kings X1 Punjab:

Guru’s team for SRH vs. KXIP fixture

Transfers made – 2; Transfers remaining – 26

David Warner in – Shane Watson outBhuvneshwar Kumar in – Suresh Raina outSandeep Sharma in – Pravin Tambe outCaptain – Glenn Maxwell/David Warner/Bhuvneshwar Kumar

I was expecting the pitch at Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad, to be a turner and therefore had come to a conclusion that I wouldn’t need both Finch and Warner. If the last match is anything to go by, the deck this year would be flat and assist batsmen big time. While Warner looks good for this fixture taking into consideration the below-par death bowling unit of Kings X1, Finch looks good for the next when you consider the fact that Warner, coming in at No. 4, will be up against Sunil Narine.

Finch has a couple of factors going against him: first 5 overs from Sandeep Sharma and Mitchell Johnson and left-arm spin of Akshar Patel. The probability of him getting past these two isn’t that great. Adding to it, he hasn’t been helping himself with a number of soft dismissals, getting out to deliveries that totally don’t deserve wickets and that too of a batsman of Finch’s T20 class. So, he stays out; even if he comes good, this is not something that I would regret, as the process matters more than the result.

When you take Warner, (most probably) he would neither face the swinging cherry nor be troubled by deliveries that would be coming in, and he should go hammer and tongs at the death. Therefore, he comes in.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar would be the next Sunrisers player to find a spot. While the Kings X1 has a susceptible top 3, which includes Virender Sehwag as well, even the best of Knight Riders batsmen – Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa – are highly prone to getting out when exposed to quality swing. It would be a blunder to not have him, and therefore he makes his way into the team, too.

No other Sunrisers player is worth considering. When it comes to Kings X1, I already have Glenn Maxwell in my team, and, on this wicket, he should be amongst runs. David Miller is an equally good option, but I don’t want to use up a transfer now, as the Preity Zinta-owned franchise next plays only after a span of 5 matches.

Uncapped player pick:

Karan Sharma should be fortunate to get wickets on this pitch. Lokesh Rahul has the potential but has time and again failed to make the opportunities count. Akshar Patel and Sandeep Sharma look the best of the lot; I go in with Sandeep Sharma for that bit of early swing on offer.

Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Mumbai Indians:

Guru’s team for KKR vs. MI fixture

Transfers made – 2; Transfers remaining – 24

Sunil Narine in – Glenn Maxwell outJasprit Bumrah in - Sandeep Sharma outGautam Gambhir/Robin Uthappa in – Mayank Agarwal out (Based on Praveen Kumar’s inclusion)Captain – Lasith Malinga

With Rohit Sharma and Lasith Malinga in my team, the two other Mumbai players who draw attention are Ambati Rayudu and Praveen Kumar. Rayudu was 1 of the 4 budget picks that I built my team around at the start of the competition, but it looks like he waited till I threw him out, to deliver. I don’t see him coming into my team again at the cost of a transfer, and, moreover, he won’t harm much by staying out.

I don’t quite understand why Mumbai dropped Praveen Kumar after he made look Dwayne Smith a fish out of water. I can’t rule out the possibility of them doing it again, which keeps him out, as well.

Mumbai think-tank has been making completely illogical decisions, and I hope they make one more: stick with Pragyan Ojha. If they do it, Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa look very good to boss the game (Lasith Malinga’s yorkers an exception).

Even an in-form Gambhir struggles to slog pacers without Powerplay restrictions, and, with the likes of Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah and Praveen Kumar in the team, he will be drawn out of his comfort zone.

The move to play Uthappa as an opener has been coming off so far, but the Knight Riders would do well to shield him from one of his two weaknesses: swing. The other being quality spin, and that comes into the scene only when they return back to home. Uthappa has it in him to be the go-getter in limited overs internationals, but he should be used accordingly. The ideal spot from him will be to come into the game after the first 5-6 overs.

Both the openers have been tentative in handling Malinga so far in their career, which makes it risky to have them in the team. The fact that they have their next match against Sunrisers doesn’t help the cause, too. I don’t want to take a chance on them, and hence the decision on whether or not to include one or both of them will depend on Mumbai playing Praveen, whose early swing holds the key to this match’s outcome.

If Praveen Kumar doesn’t play, one of Gambhir or Uthappa can make the way in. Else, I would keep them both out.

Sunil Narine will be making his way back into my team, as, with the exception of Rohit, I haven’t seen anyone else playing him with certainty and Gambhir uses him very well. I don’t see the need for any other capped Knight Rider.

Uncapped player pick:

Jasprit Bumrah was quite impressive at the death in the last match, getting in his yorkers consistently. I don’t rate CM Gautam as an opener, and Aditya Tare bats too low. The one other player who competes with Bumrah for a spot is Manish Pandey. Bumrah looks a more assured bet, though.

May 15 Update:

Guru’s team after KKR vs. MI match

I brought in Uthappa and Shivam Sharma ahead of Gautam Gambhir and Sandeep Sharma. I did not include Warner, as the captains were of the belief that it would be a low-scoring affair. Talk of misreading a pitch. Thankfully, he was run out before doing more damage.

Rajasthan Royals vs. Delhi Daredevils:

Possible inclusions: (I am not sure about the pitch on offer, which makes it uncertain at this moment)

Ajinkya RahanePravin Tambe/Karun Nair

Possible exclusions:Lasith MalingaShivam Sharma

Usually, the matches at Motera are high-scoring; the average team score of 160 in a T20 match indicates just that. But in the last match at the venue, teams were shot out for 134 and 102, which makes it quite difficult to predict what type of players will rake in points today. These pitch reports are heavily unreliable; the match between Kings X1 Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad where the former chased down 205 was expected to be a low-scoring affair by both the captains.

What helps us, though, is the fact that the Royals’ are playing here. I trust them to get it right, and it will reflect in their team combination. I have opted to wait till the toss so that I can know more about the deck to decide on whom to bring in. If Murali Vijay continues to play, it will nullify the effect that Dinesh Karthik and JP Duminy can have. Yes, they did come in earlier in the last match, but the probability of that happening is too big a risk at this stage of the game.

With Shane Watson already in the team, only Ajinkya Rahane demands inclusion from the Royals. With the Daredevils not playing their second match any sooner, I would most probably not pick anyone from the side.

Uncapped player pick:

Karun Nair looks good for another 40-50 at 120 SR, while Pravin Tambe could give a Man-of-the-Match performance. Rajat Bhatia can come in handy, as well. Sanju Samson has promised so much but has delivered so little in this edition. Mayank Agarwal isn’t worthy of a spot; even on the flattest of decks, he gives away too many chances for the opposition.

Siddarth Kaul isn’t used well; he needs first 3 overs at a stretch to do the damage. If the pitch is slow, Rahul Shukla’s pace will only help the batsmen to score more. Kedar Jadhav comes in at number 7, a colossal waste both for the IPL and fantasy teams’ needs.