IPL Fantasy 2018, KXIP vs RCB: 3 suggestions that will help you earn big today
After an action-packed weekend, we enter the final stages of the IPL now, with only nine games left now for the league stages to come to an end. The action once again shifts to Indore with Kings XI Punjab taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore and this has all the makings of a cracker. Here are some tips before you sit down to pick your fantasy team for this all-important clash:
The biggies are a must
After two unusually low-scoring games, Indore was back at it's best, providing us fours and sixes in abundance. More than 400 runs were scored in the contest between Kolkata Knight Riders and KXIP and the manner in which batsmen from both the sides played their shots without any fear reminded us that the carnage could get even heavier this time around.
In this situation, you just cannot afford to leave out any big names. KL Rahul and Chris Gayle have been very successful at the top of the order and if they get going, I would place my bet on KXIP posting 250 on the board. They will also be up against their former franchise and would want to show what they are missing at the moment.
From RCB's perspective, the same goes to Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Both these batsmen fired in unison finally this season to help RCB win a crucial clash against DD and once again, we cannot afford to leave one among these two.
So that puts fantasy users under pressure to accommodate Gayle, Rahul, Kohli and de Villiers - four players who will cost them too much, four players who are likely to deliver in unison considering the conditions and the importance.
So, who are the bowlers?
One of the most difficult tasks to do for these type of matches is to pick your bowlers. So who are your options? It's enough to fill your minimum bowlers quota so I would personally recommend picking someone like Ankit Rajpoot in your XI.
He might get hit but he has shown previously in the tournament that he has the knack of picking wickets, so if it's your day, he is going to end up with loads of wickets. Moeen Ali had a good outing with the ball last time and considering he might open again, there is one all-round option that you wouldn't want to ignore.
In case he is expensive, Colin de Grandhomme can be the backup. Mujeeb is another option from the KXIP dugout but he did hurt himself in the previous clash so it remains to be seen if he is fit. Someone like Mohammad Siraj might come in handy as well. Whether he picks wickets or not, he can at least bowl a few dot balls at the death. I wouldn't recommend spending big bucks on the other top bowlers though.
How to balance the squad?
This is where you might win or lose the contest. Balancing the squad is very important when you have two teams with plenty of superstars to choose from. It's usually a huge problem when RCB are playing but with Gayle and KL on the other side, it gets trickier for this clash. You have to balance the squad by picking the right players who are going to cost you less else having all the superstars in the playing XI gets difficult.
Mayank Agarwal is one option I would consider despite his lean run. The conditions are still favourable for someone like him to come in and smash. Like we discussed already, Rajpoot is another player who is going to be available on the cheap. From RCB, you will have to rely on Mandeep Singh. Not a bad choice by any stretch since he has played some useful cameos this season. Had Manan Vohra played, he could have been another option.