World Cup 2019 Fantasy Tips: Best Fantasy XI for Round 1

With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 set to get underway on May 30, the official Fantasy game for the tournament, powered by Dream 11 is also set to begin with the first match between England and South Africa.

For those who played the IPL Fantasy 2019, the format for the World Cup Fantasy will not be too difficult to understand. The entire tournament schedule of 48 matches will be divided into 11 rounds with the first 9 rounds consisting of 5 matches each while the 2 semi-finals will make up Round 10 and the Final making up Round 11.

Unlimited Transfers: Round 1, Round 2, Round 10 and Round 11

Ahead of the rest of the rounds, 5 free transfers will be available and any transfer excess of that will lead to a deduction of 10 points.

The deadline for Round 1 closes with the start of the first clash in the huge tournament between England and South Africa on May 30.

With the deadline for Round 1 closing in and the number of options so huge, the right players have to be picked in order to get maximum points.

On that note, let's take a look at the best fantasy XI for Round 1.

Transfer Deadline: 3:00 pm IST on 30th May

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With 10 teams participating in the tournament and only 11 players to select, it will indeed be difficult to accommodate players from all teams into your fantasy XI. However, for Round 1, players from the Indian team should not be picked as they don't have a fixture in this round.

Here are some tips to help with your selection:

1India don't have a fixture in this round hence players from the Indian team should not be picked.

2. Also, South Africa have 2 fixtures in this round and more players should be picked from the side.

With only 9 teams to pick from, let's take a look at the players who have made it to the XI.

The most important part of the fantasy team will be wicket-keepers who are a huge source of points if we pick the right player.

And who better than Proteas keeper-batsman Quinton De Kock who is one of the best ODI batsmen in the world. He's in terrific form and looked in good touch in the warm-up matches. He is a proven performer and his last few games on international duty have been amazing. Also with 2 fixtures, De Kock is a quality pick and a potential captaincy candidate.

Now, we move on to the batsmen.

Faf Du Plessis, the South African skipper, will be the first batsman to make it to the Fantasy XI. He has been among the runs and is in good nick ahead of the 2 games in Round 1. A very consistent player, he's primed to get points with 2 fixtures in the round and is another captaincy candidate.

Steve Smith is a great option to go for as the Australian batsman is in top form ahead of the tournament and has the fire to redeem himself after being banned for one year. He lit up the warm-ups with a beautiful ton and can continue in the same vein in the main matches.

Joe Root is a very good pick from England due to his rock-solid batting and recent involvement with the ball which might provide some extra points. One of the best batsmen in the world, the England No.3 is almost certain to score in every game he plays and is the best player to choose from England.

Babar Azam is the heart and soul of the Pakistan batting lineup with his form being the only silver lining they have had over the last couple of months. He is to be preferred ahead of others due to his consistency and fire to win the game for his country, who are on a 10-game losing streak in ODIs.

Now, we move on to the all-rounders.

Glenn Maxwell will be the first-choice pick in the all-rounder's list due to his increased involvement in bowling his off-spin and his good form with the bat.

Jason Holder, the West Indies skipper, will be the second all-rounder pick and his exploits with the bat and ball make him a clear-cut option to pick from the West Indies.

Andile Phehlukwayo, the South African all-rounder is a left-field pick who is actually well worth for his bargain price of 7.5 Credits. He showcased both his batting and bowling prowess in the warm-up game against Sri Lanka and has 2 fixtures to prove his mettle in this round.

Now, we move on to the bowlers.

Trent Boult has been in terrific form leading up to the tournament and can wreak havoc on the opposition batsmen. His fiery deliveries are becoming tougher and tougher to face and with a fixture against a struggling Sri Lanka, he's primed for points.

Hasan Ali, the Pakistan pacer has struggled to find his rhythm in England but he is likely to regain his form with a game against the West Indies. The highest wicket-taker in the ICC Champions Trophy, Hasan can deliver in another big tournament for his side who are struggling and looking for a win.

Rubel Hossain is a cut-price option from Bangladesh who can deliver the goods though he's a risky pick. At just 7.5 credits, Rubel can be used to balance the inclusion of higher-cost players and with a game against South Africa, Rubel can do a good job.

The final team for Round 1 is:

1. Quinton De Kock - 10 Credits

2. Steve Smith - 10 Credits

3. Faf Du Plessis- 10 Credits

4. Joe Root - 10 Credits

5. Babar Azam - 10 Credits

6. Glenn Maxwell - 9 Credits

7. Jason Holder - 8.5 Credits

8. Andile Phehlukwayo - 8.5 Credits

9. Trent Boult - 9 Credits

10. Hasan Ali - 8.5 Credits

11. Rubel Hossain - 7.5 Credits

The captaincy choice for this round is pretty difficult because being the first set of matches, it's difficult to determine who has the edge over whom. It's best to go with the teams who have the best fixtures or more no. of fixtures. Hence, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock will be good captaincy choices while Babar Azam or Steve Smith can be able vice-captain picks.

Captain: Quinton De Kock/ Faf Du Plessis

Vice Captain: Steve Smith/ Babar Azam

This will be the preferential order for the Free Hits.

1) Star Skipper- SA vs BAN

2) Bowling Machine- WI vs PAK

3) Super Striker- ENG vs SA

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