Transfers made – 1; Transfers remaining – 2
Sanju Samson out – David Warner in
(uncapped) Shahbaz Nadeem out – Siddarth Kaul in
Uncapped preference order: 1. Siddarth Kaul 2. Ishan Kishan 3. Mohammed Siraj 4. Basil Thampi 5. Pradeep Sangwan
Differential – Shikhar Dhawan/Moises Henriques
Captain – David Warner
Given how poor Gujarat Lions have been with the ball this season, I don’t see how they can stop the Sunrisers Hyderabad batting unit from going berserk today. David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan, and Moises Henriques should, therefore, be amongst the points. Warner is the most complete and destructive of the trio, so I will bring him in and captain him too.
Dhawan and Henriques could give you good fantasy returns as well, so if you have more than 6 transfers left, there is absolutely no reason for you to not have them on your team. Dhawan is the better of the two, as a good first-wicket partnership could considerably affect the fantasy potential of Henriques, especially if the Sunrisers bat second.
There is a notable change in the way Rashid Khan has been used in the last couple of matches, which should help him get more wickets than he has in the second half of the tournament, but at the moment, he is more of a luxury pick than an essential one. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar already on my team and Siddarth Kaul getting in as the uncapped pick, I don’t see the need for anyone else from the Hyderabad-based franchise.
Extra Cover: GL vs SRH Match Prediction: Who will win today's match between Gujarat Lions and Sunrisers Hyderabad
Coming to Gujarat Lions, with the number of left-handers in the Sunrisers top order, Suresh Raina could fancy his chances not just with the bat but with the ball as well, which makes him the team’s best pick. Dwayne Smith struggles against both the new ball and leg-spin, and against a team that can bring both into play, I wouldn’t recommend having him.
There is a good chance that Dinesh Karthik and Aaron Finch will get enough time at the crease today to make an impact, and if you are looking to get in one of the two, the former would be a better choice; Karthik normally bats higher than Finch, is a better bet against Rashid Khan, and his keeping can help you earn some cheap points.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians
Transfers made – 1; Transfers remaining - 1
David Warner out – Robin Uthappa in
(uncapped) Suresh Raina out – Nitish Rana in
Uncapped preference order – 1. Nitish Rana 2. Ankit Rajpoot 3. Suryakumar Yadav
Differential - Manish Pandey
Captain - Chris Lynn
After the loss against Kings XI Punjab, Gautam Gambhir said they might reconsider the move to open with Sunil Narine. Normally, a factor like that would have a huge say on how things turn out, but against a bowling attack as good as the one that Mumbai Indians have, it shouldn't be much of an issue.
Even if Narine continues to open, the Mumbai pace trio should make short work of him. And you would have Chris Lynn on your team either way. At this stage of the tournament and against a pace-heavy unit, Gautam Gambhir is not going to make much of a difference to your fantasy team.
As a result, the only player who could be influenced by Narine dropping down the order is Robin Uthappa – who will be back to the position he has done all the damage this season.
Manish Pandey is the only other KKR player who is worth considering, and could very well turn out to be the differential today. Just that he needs to come in within the first 8 overs. The question, however, would be: is that a risk you are willing to take?
Coming to Mumbai Indians, the decision to bring in Rohit Sharma, ahead of the Kings XI match, was taken keeping both these fixtures in mind. I don’t want to overcompensate for it by bringing in Simmons now. With a bit of green on the deck, there is a good chance that Knight Riders’ pacers could get the better of the Caribbean batsman.
Even if they miss out, the damage is likely to be limited, with Kuldeep Yadav next in line. I haven't seen anything yet to change my stance on not bringing in any of the Mumbai Indians pacers, so that stays the same as well.
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