IPL Fantasy cricket, RR vs DD: 4 Key moves to succeed
Chennai Super Kings continue to light up IPL 2018 with some thrilling performances but how about your fortunes in the IPL fantasy?
Both Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils might have made some mistakes which eventually cost them big time in their respective opening fixtures but fantasy users can ill afford to do the same if they are to stand a chance of winning big in StarPick where you are bound to find interesting features to go with a huge prize money.
Which fantasy game are you playing this year? StarPick is the new one on the block, and it has a lot of exciting features along with millions in prize money. You can create your StarPick team here.
Here are some key pointers before you sit down to pick your team for this vital clash:
1. Trust D'Arcy to come good
Not many expected D'Arcy Short to play against Sunrisers Hyderabad since the Australian joined the Rajasthan Royals camp quite late due to a passport gaffe.
The thinktank sprung a surprise by picking him ahead of Heinrich Klaasen and even though the left-hander fell for a single-digit score, this is no time to drop him.
No batsman has been more successful than Short in T20 cricket in 2018. His exploits in the Big Bash earlier this year are well documented and it needs to be reminded that he was actually run out due to a misjudgment in that opening game.
If the wicket in Jaipur retains it's quick nature that it had prior to Rajasthan's suspension, then that would play to Short's advantage.
After scoring runs in Australia and New Zealand, Short will welcome a pacy surface and his wrist spin will come in handy as well.
2. Resist picking Unadkat
He might have had a great tournament last time but it's better to wait and see how Jaydev Unadkat fares this time around.
He wasn't in the greatest of forms coming into the tournament and Rajasthan's first game is a small sample to form an opinion.
As witnessed last time, Unadkat relies heavily on his variations especially at the death to fox the batsmen but if the Jaipur surface as discussed earlier turns out to assist pace and bounce, Unadkat's variations aren't going to be effective enough.
With Delhi Daredevils possessing plenty of big-hitters, he could be taken to the cleaners.
4. No threat in DD's attack
Ok, it's just one match but still when you take a look at Daredevils's bowling lineup, it just doesn't inspire confidence.
Where is their match winner with the ball? Apart from Chris Morris, I don't really see anyone coming up with a terrific bowling performance.
Amit Mishra has been a proven performer but does he still possess the same venom?
Is Shami effective in T20 cricket? Trent Boult is terrific with the new ball and might find this surface to his liking but with Liam Plunkett joining the squad, there is a bit of an uncertainty. What if you pick Boult and DD go onto replace him with Plunkett?
4. Samson, Stokes - IN, Tripathi - OUT
Sanju Samson looked really good in the game against Sunrisers. Coming in at number three, Samson made 49 and more importantly, he looked in good touch.
By the looks of it, Rajasthan will be looking to continue playing Samson in the top order and having played in Jaipur before, you would Samson to ease into his zone pretty quick this time around.
The same goes with Stokes. He is going to cost you quite high. I did ask the fantasy users to refrain themselves from picking the big all-rounder for the first game, where he eventually failed.
But if there is one bowling attack that he can potentially feast upon, that's this one. I doubt if Stokes would bowl in the early stages of the tournament after a minor setback in New Zealand, but Ajinkya Rahane did give him a couple of overs during the loss in Hyderabad.
So, invest in the big man and see if he gets into his groove. After all, it isn't exactly a gamble.
Coming back to Rajasthan's batting department, Rahul Tripathi is one guy you have to avoid at the moment.
He sparkled in the IPL last season, opening the innings for Rising Pune Supergiant but Rajasthan have a different plan for him now.
He has been given a middle-order role and we aren't sure if he is best suited there. He did struggle in the last game and it's better not to invest in him as long as he continues to bat at No.5.