IPL 2017 Fantasy Tips (updated): MI vs RCB and RPSG vs GL

Virat Kohli will captain the fantasy guru’s side

Transfers made – 1; Transfers remaining – 20

David Warner out – Virat Kohli in

(uncapped) Robin Uthappa out – Nitish Rana in 

Captain – Virat Kohli 

With Rohit Sharma already in my team, the only other capped player that I am looking at for this match is Virat Kohli. Mumbai Indians are taking a 6-match break, while Royal Challengers Bangalore will be out of action for 4 matches after this fixture at Wankhede, so there is really no point in bringing more players in.

Even Kohli wouldn’t have been an option if not for the captaincy factor. 

AB de Villiers is the notable omission, but the 33-year-old hasn’t been scoring runs for a while now; even if he comes good today, the bowling attack of Mumbai will make sure the damage is limited.

That the South African stalwart is playing for a side that has been struggling very badly in the season could also come to our rescue – the quality of support from the other end is an important factor that decides how effective a batsman can be.

Guru’s team after the SRH vs KKR match 

Parthiv Patel gets off once in a season every year like he did against Gujarat Lions the other night, but it is not something you should be looking seriously into. Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell McClenaghan and Lasith Malinga all look good for a couple of wickets, but unless you see an opportunity to take them along for more than a couple of matches, it is not advisable to get them in. 

After carrying him for so long, I had taken Yuzvendra Chahal out of my team keeping in mind that if I get away with one today, I could have a free spot for a total of 8 matches. Mumbai are equipped with players to handle Chahal well, so as long as he doesn’t get more than a couple of wickets, I should be alright here.

Among the uncapped options, both Nitish Rana and Krunal Pandya look value today, as the former will be facing a bowling attack that doesn’t have the extra pace to trouble him and the latter has a pretty good record against De Villiers, having dismissed him 3 times in 3 matches, which could set the game up for his team. 

Rising Pune Supergiants vs Gujarat Lions

Transfers made – 3; Transfers remaining – 17

Nitish Rana out – Steve Smith in

Rohit Sharma out – Ajinkya Rahane in

Virat Kohli out – Suresh Raina in 

Krunal Pandya out – Rahul Tripathi in

Uncapped preference order: 1. Rahul Tripathi 2. Ishan Kishan 3. Basil Thampi 4. Washington Sundar

Captain – Brendon McCullum

Guru’s team for RPSG vs GL

Rising Pune Supergiants play twice in three matches, and depending on how things go, you could possibly get one more match out of their players by stretching it to 3 out of 6. All these make Steve Smith a no-brainer. 

I am trying to get more, but the promotion of Manoj Tiwary over MS Dhoni in the last match has messed up things in the RPSG middle order. You don't want to have so much uncertainty surrounding your players at this stage of the tournament. That their bowling department is largely dependent on overseas players doesn't help either. 

So, with Rahul Tripathi getting in as uncapped, it leaves me with Ajinkya Rahane and Imran Tahir as the only other options left. My overseas spots are locked, so I can’t afford the South African leg-spinner. It, however, makes it easier for me to side with Rahane here. The 28-year-old has been flirting with finding his touch back, and even one half-century in the three matches will justify getting him in. 

From Gujarat Lions, I already have Brendon McCullum. With Andrew Tye ruled out and Aaron Finch batting at No.4, Suresh Raina is the only other capped player left who is capable of big returns. With the bowling attack he is facing today, it might turn out to be a grave mistake to go in without the left-hander 

Ravindra Jadeja is the type of player you should hold on to for more than a couple of matches to get returns, and I don’t see it being possible at this moment, especially when he is not playing as well as he should to merit a spot.