BB vs SL Dream 11 Prediction, Fantasy Cricket Tips and Playing XI Updates for Today's KPL Match- 20th August 2019

In the ninth fixture of Karnataka Premier League and the Rongsen Jonathan-led Bengaluru Blasters will take on Abhimanyu Mithun's Shivamogga Lions at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Shivamogga have got off to the most ideal start with two wins in two matches and hold the top position in the points table as of writing this article.

Their opponent on the day, Bengaluru Blasters have had luck going against them in both their matches. While their first match against Mysuru Warriors was washed out due to incessant rain, their second match against Bijapur Bulls was yet again abandoned owing to a downpour.

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Squads to choose from

Bengaluru Blasters: Rongsen Jonathon (C), V Koushik, Manoj Bhandage, Rohan Kadam, Sharath BR, Bharath Duri, Anand Doddamani, Naga Bharath, Bharath D, Anil IG, Nikin Jose, Anuraj Bajpai, Nishant S Shekhawat, Muthanna Chandrasekhar, Kishore Kamath, Kuldeep Kumar, Rishi Bopanna, Aditya Goyal.

Shivamogga Lions: Abhimanyu Mithun (C), Pavan Deshpande, Nihal Ullal, Prithviraj Shekhawat, Nidhish M, HS Sharath, Arjun Hoysala, Manjunath SP, Akshay Ballal, Sujith N Gowda, Rishabh Singh, Rohit Gowda, Rohit K, Prashant S, Hoysala K, Pradeep Gangadhar, Shivaraj S.

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Playing XI Updates

Both teams are expected to go in with the same line-ups.

Bengaluru Blasters: Sharath BR (WK), Rohan Kadam, Nikin Jose, Rongsen Jonathan (C), Rohan Raju, KN Bharath, Manoj S Bhandage, Bharath Dhuri, V Koushik, Anand Doddamani, Bharath Devaraj.

Shivamogga Lions: Arjun Hoysala, Nihal Ullal (WK), Akshay Ballal, Pavan Deshpande, HS Sharath, M Nidhish, SP Manjunath, Abhimanyu Mithun (C), Prithiviraj Shekhawat, Rishabh Singh, T Pradeep.

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Match Details

Bengaluru Blasters Vs Shivamogga Lions, Karnataka Premier League, 9th Match

20th August, 7.00 PM IST

M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

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Pitch and Weather Report

Rain has played a huge part in the tournament so far and it remains to be seen whether the scenario continues to be the same. On Tuesday, rain is forecast for 5 PM and this might necessitate a delay for the start of this match.

This has also played a huge part in the nature of the pitches as fast-bowlers have invariably found a lot of assistance.

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Fantasy Tips and Suggestions

Wicket-keeper: Nihal Ullal will be the lone wicket-keeper in the Dream 11 team. Nihal has looked in fantastic touch in both the matches wherein he scored 88* and 28. Furthermore, the fact that Nihal opens the batting for Shivamogga combined with the form of Shivamogga's bowling attack makes his choice in the team a no-brainer.

Batsmen: The four batsmen for this match will be Rohan Kadam, Nikin Jose, Arjun Hoysala and Akshay Ballal. The leading run-scorer of the 2019 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Rohan Kadam hasn't yet set the stage on fire in this edition of the KPL with 23 runs from two matches but he is too good to stay away from a good knock. On that premise, Kadam should be picked.

Young Nikin Jose is another valuable pick. Interestingly, he is yet to get out as rain intervened in both the matches when he was batting on 28* and 5* respectively. Add his part-time spin into the equation, Nikin Jose could be just the difference-maker.

Again like most of the other picks, Arjun Hoysala has also had two good starts but hasn't manage to convert his score. Considering that he opens the batting, it is vital that Hoysala contributes with a big score. Having finished as the 4th highest run-scorer last season, he surely has the ability to do so.

The final pick from the batsmen will be Akshay Ballal. Problematic weather conditions has ensured that we haven't seen more of Ballal but he has looked fluent in his short knocks so far. This is also reflected in the fact that he has the leading strike-rate in this year's KPL.

All-rounders: Pavan Deshpande and HS Sharath will be the two all-rounders. Deshpande needs no introduction given his reputation in Karnataka cricketing circles and he did no harm to that with a measured fifty against the Mysuru Warriors.

Meanwhile, HS Sharath is a utility player not just for Shivamogga but also for Dream 11 players. Those who have closely watched domestic cricket will attest to the fact that Sharath is a very talented pacer who's career has been disturbed by injuries but a lesser-known attribute in the form of his big-hitting is also coming to the fore in the KPL.

In the previous match, he was promoted to No.5 and although the move didn't work, the 26-year-old is capable of slogging them out of the park. Sharath has already picked up five wickets.

Bowlers: There will be three straight-forward picks in the form of Abhimanyu Mithun, T Pradeep and Anand Doddamani. Mithun, in a way, shares similar attributes to HS Sharath while T Pradeep as the team's wicket-taker.

Although Pradeep can turn out to be expensive at times, Shivamogga can rely on him for wickets. Pradeep has already picked up six wickets.

The third pick, Anand Doddamani, the left-arm spinner can not only be stingy when it comes to conceding runs but also pick up crucial wickets. Last season, Doddamani ended up as the 8th highest wicket-taker and 5th best when it comes to economy rate.

The last option, Rohan Raju, Having returned figures of 4-0-26-2 in the last match, he can be chosen for the game against Shivamogga.

Captain: The captain for this game would be the reliable Pavan Deshpande. Vice-captain will be Nikin Jose. Other options for captaincy roles would be Rohan Kadam, Nihal Ullal and HS Sharath.

Fantasy Suggestion #1: Nihal Ullal, Rohan Kadam, Nikin Jose (VC), Arjun Hoysala, Akshay Ballal, Pavan Deshpande (C), HS Sharath, Abhimanyu Mithun, T Pradeep, Anand Doddamani, Rohan Raju.

Fantasy Suggestion #2: Nihal Ullal (VC), Rohan Kadam (C), R Jonathan, Akshay Ballal, Manoj Bhandage, HS Sharath, Pavan Deshpande, SP Manjunath, Anand Doddamani, Abhimanyu Mithun, T Pradeep.

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