Transfers made – 2; Transfers remaining – 8
Gautam Gambhir out – Murali Vijay in
Andre Russell out – Chris Gayle in
(uncapped) Deepak Chahar out – Yuzvendra Chahal in
Batting captain – Virat Kohli
Bowling captain – Yuzvendra Chahal
Batting captaincy options – Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Murali Vijay and Hashim Amla
We might have seen the Gayle storm earlier if not for the slow decks RCB were playing on. And Bangalore has seen as many slow decks as flat ones this season, which is why I am not entirely sure about gambling on Gayle today. Also, there is the Sandeep Sharma threat as well.
What I will definitely not do, though, is captain De Villiers – if Gayle starts firing again, his potential is as good as done, with Kohli getting out becoming a rare phenomenon these days. Also at this stage, there is no coming back if your captaincy punts fail. Considering all these, I have again decided to go in with Kohli here.
As far as Amla and Vijay are concerned, expect them to score a decent number of runs if KXIP bat first. However if they chase, the chasing pressure might just consume them. I had to make a choice between the two, and I am siding with Vijay because he is in as good a form as Amla is in and doesn’t block my overseas spots.
Bowling captaincy options – Shane Watson, Chris Jordan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma and Mohit Sharma
All these 5 are good picks for a couple of wickets. I don’t see a role for Watson the batsman in my team, with RCB's top four in supreme form, so I am not wasting an overseas spot just for his bowling. With that option ruled out, the only player I can have is Chahal and he becomes my bowling captain as well.
Nature of the deck – Been slow for the last couple of games. Watch out for what the captains say at the toss.
Uncapped player order – Yuzvendra Chahal, KC Cariappa
RCB – Fantasy Clinchers
Varun Aaron could come back in for Iqbal Abdulla. Other than that, I don’t see any changes in the RCB playing XI. With Gayle finding his touch back, KL Rahul’s fantasy potential has taken a massive hit and it’s pretty much useless sticking with him.
The impact of De Villiers and Watson has taken a hit as well. It remains to be seen if Jordan becomes the preferred death bowler after the way Watson has been getting carted around in the last two matches.
KXIP – Fantasy Clinchers
Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis have been ruled out of the tournament due to injury concerns, which further weakens their team. While Farhaan Behardien is an obvious replacement for Maxwell, it is anyone’s guess who among Kyle Abbott and Mitchell Johnson will come in for Stoinis. I would personally go with Abbott, as he gets the ball to move around and is decent at the death as well.
David Miller looked like he had found some form last match, so don’t be surprised if you see him doing well today. KXIP need to be proactive and play him at No.4 – which is their only chance of competing today.
Anureet Singh had a disappointing match against Sunrisers Hyderabad and could well be replaced by KC Cariappa.
Match call – RCB to roll over KXIP.
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