IPL 2017 Fantasy Tips: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians
Transfers made – 0; Transfers remaining – 8
(uncapped) Ankit Soni out – Mohammed Siraj in;
Uncapped player order: 1. Nitish Rana 2. Siddarth Kaul 3. Mohammed Siraj 4. Deepak Hooda;
Differential – Rohit Sharma;
Captain – David Warner
With David Warner, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rohit Sharma already in, the only other player who can add value to my team from this match is Lendl Simmons. I had picked Rohit ahead of Simmons keeping in mind the form of the two players and the bowling attacks of Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hyderabad, but the Daredevils let Simmons get away with some erratic new-ball bowling.
Getting Simmons back in now would be reacting to what happened in the last match, and with the number of transfers left, I can’t afford it. I have, therefore, opted to bank on Bhuvneshwar Kumar and co. to do their job. Even if the 32-year-old gets away, the damage should be limited considering how good Sunrisers are usually at home. With Warner in, I am not going to captain him as well.
Enough has been said on why Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan aren’t good enough fantasy options when they don’t fit into Schedule Mantra, while Yuvraj Singh against a bowling attack of Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell McClenaghan and Lasith Malinga doesn’t inspire confidence. Bhuvneshwar has gone off the boil since his 5-wicket haul against Kings XI Punjab, but with the death bowlers all you need is a bit of luck and you could be in for a lottery.
I have been asked about how Simmons’ arrival and Kieron Pollard’s promotion could affect Rohit Sharma’s fantasy potential. Firstly, the lowest Rohit could bat is No. 4, so it is just a matter of a couple of wickets. Secondly, I don’t expect Pollard at No. 3 to be permanent. It looked more like a move to cash in on Amit Mishra, against whom he has a very good record. However, when Mumbai are playing weaker sides, Simmons is easily the better option.
Extra Cover: IPL 2017 SRH vs MI: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) today's probable playing 11 against Mumbai Indians (MI)
As far as team combinations are concerned, Krunal Pandya is still unfit, so Mumbai should retain the same XI. Sunrisers, on the other hand, find themselves in a spot of bother with the play-offs race heating up, and should change things up in order to push for a positive result. Ashish Nehra’s injury makes sure that there will at least be one change, with Mohammed Siraj filling in.
Deepak Hooda could come back in for Bipul Sharma to strengthen their batting, while Moises Henriques’ spot could be under threat with his bowling becoming a liability. These do not matter much from the fantasy point of view, though, as they are not expected to play a big role in the match.