IPL fantasy cricket, KXIP vs SRH: 4 key pointers
What happens when a charismatic unit comes up against the best bowling attack in the tournament? SRH have been very clinical whereas KXIP have entertained in more ways than one. They both promise you plenty of points in the fantasy but you need to take some key decisions in order to succeed.
As a great batting lineup collides with a great bowling lineup, you can create your own fantasy teams on StarPick. It has a lot of exciting features along with millions in prize money. You can create your StarPick team here.
Here are some tips for the game:
1. No Bhuvi, no party
Bhuvneshwar Kumar had an off-colour start to the tournament, misfiring in the first game and then totally missing the second with an injury. There were some concerns going into SRH's third game of the season when he made his return but they were all laid down to rest by the Uttar Pradesh seamer.
Bhuvneshwar was in his element again shining with the brand new ball in his hand. Not only did he dismiss the dangerous Robin Uthappa very early, Bhuvneshwar also accounted for the key wickets of Dinesh Karthik and Shubman Gill at the death to finish with figures of 3 for 26 off his four overs.
In short, it was a typical Bhuvneshwar performance where he showcased why he is so good with the new ball and at the death as well at the same time. He has been the IPL's best bowler in recent years and it appears like he is in his element once again.
Ignoring Bhuvneshwar for his high price tag can prove to be a very costly affair. No matter what the conditions are, the seamer delivers more often than not.
2. Should Gayle be picked?
Where do we go with Chris Gayle? None of us predicted him to play against CSK the other day. Most of us didn't expect him to fire straightaway for his new franchise as well. But the Universal Boss repaid Ashwin's faith by crunching a vital fifty.
Surely, KXIP won't' be keeping him out of their team but what are we supposed to do now? Follow KXIP and just pick the big man blindly or keep him out for tactical reasons? I would prefer the latter because Gayle has had a tendency to struggle against top bowling attacks in recent years in the IPL.
And there is no better bowling attack in the IPL than SRH as we have already seen. Billy Stanlake is their most expensive bowler and his economy rate in the tournament is 7.66. So can Gayle get past skillful bowlers like Bhuvneshwar and Siddarth Kaul?
Even if he does, then Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan will come in his way. It's unlikely he is going to deliver again and hence for tactical reasons, it's best advised to not get swayed away by his innings against CSK. Drop him.
3. Back Saha to deliver
51 runs in three innings opening the batting so far in the season doesn't really warrant an automatic selection. But with Wriddhiman Saha, showing some patience can prove to be very useful.
He is not going to cost a lot so you aren't really preventing a top player from getting his due in the team. Saha at the top can be very destructive as we have seen in the past for Kings XI. He knows these conditions having played for this franchise and he will be looking to get one over them.
It's also a bowling attack that doesn't threaten much. Ashwin and Mujeeb are key but Saha plays spin pretty well.
4. Finch could turn out to be key
Two matches, two golden ducks! Not the kind of start Aaron Finch was hoping for but the Australian batsman could turn out to be a key member for you to succeed in this important clash. Surely, he is not getting out for a duck for the third successive time?
He has a top class bowling attack to face this time and hence his role is vital. If Finch can get through against Rashid and Shakib then he will be expected to come out on top at the death against the likes of Bhuvneshwar and Kaul.
The chances of KXIP losing early wickets against this opposition is pretty high and hence Finch will likely have plenty of overs to bat.