IPL Fantasy 2018, MI vs KXIP: 3 suggestions to help you earn big today

Considering the form of some of their players, it might appear to be easy to pick players in fantasy for this clash, but you need to be extremely choosy. Here are some suggestions: Kings XI Punjab wouldn't have envisaged themselves to be in this position a week ago. They have lost a few on the trot and are now badly in need of a win against Mumbai Indians.

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Gayle can't be the first choice

Chris Gayle over the years hasn't really made an impact at the Wankhede when he was representing RCB in the IPL.

Mumbai Indians traditionally have bowled well to him. This season, they again came up with good plans to keep him quiet for a fair bit but he still managed to help himself to a fifty.

It wasn't his fluent fifty and the fact that the match happened in Indore helped matters. This time though, I expect MI to come out with good plans again for Gayle in order to keep him quiet.

So pick him only if you can afford him towards the end after picking your first-choice players.

I know it's a huge gamble to leave him out, but, I would go ahead and take this chance against an attack that consists of the likes of McClenaghan and Bumrah who can trouble him.

On the other end, KL Rahul is a must. I don't think I need to offer an explanation. The man has been in terrific form.

No matter what plans MI come up with, I expect him to fire and even if he doesn't, that's fine. Everyone else is going to have him so it's a gamble you cannot afford to take.

What about KXIP's middle order?

I would pick none. Karun Nair was the only one who showed a bit of form in the earlier games, but even he has gone missing off late.

You cannot pick Mayank Agarwal anymore now and, Aaron Finch isn't delivering in the middle order.

So where do you go from here? Marcus Stoinis can be a smart pick, but he will likely make way for Mujeeb if the spinner is fit. If KXIP do the right thing by playing Manoj Tiwary, you have an option right there to consider.

Personally, I would still suggest filling up spots with names from the MI team. Suryakumar Yadav is a cheap and an exciting option. He has been very reliable this season.

I will also pick Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma. Ishan is an exciting talent as we have seen already and Rohit, despite being inconsistent, is a very dangerous player to be left out.

Evin Lewis is one player I'm not keen on. He hasn't set the tournament on fire and I expect the likes of Ashwin, Axar or even Mujeeb (if he plays), to negate Lewis' threat.

Any more KXIP players?

Of course, yes! One cannot afford to pick players completely from just one team, it still needs to be a healthy mix as per the rules. But who will you pick?

I would still consider Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya in my side, but I would suggest users, to take a punt and go with Ravichandran Ashwin. He is the skipper, he has to lead from the front and it's a big game.

I expect him to come up with a solid show. In the bowling department, Mujeeb is one name you have to consider if KXIP picks him.

Apart from Mujeeb, Andrew Tye is another option. He has been outstanding in the recent games and is now a contender for the Purple Cap. He is a wicket-taker and you need such players to fetch points.