Moneyball9 Fantasy Tips: 10 bargain buys who can give you great returns
The Indian Premier League saw a dramatic closing to the group stage of the tournament with Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore not only making a late dash for a top four spot, but also managed to leapfrog Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders to enter the playoffs as the second best-placed team.
The Bangalore franchise were almost out of the reckoning mid-way through the tournament and needed to win their last four games to keep their playoffs hopes alive and they did it in style.
Gujarat Lions were the early pace-setters in the league and finished as the top placed team in the group stages riding on the back of impressive performances from their overseas players coupled with handy contributions from the Indian members of the team.
Suresh Raina returned from Holland, having being blessed with a daughter, and struck two consecutive half-centuries to guide his side over the finish line, en route to becoming the only player in IPL history to qualify for playoffs in every season of the competition since its inception in 2008.
David Warner led the Sunrisers Hyderabad with example, finishing as the second highest run-scorer in the group stage, which included seven half-centuries from the diminutive Australian.
While Kolkata Knight Riders almost looked to have lost the plot as the season reached its business end, they were able to scrape through with a final day win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. The form of Gautam Gambhir’s side was reminiscent of last season, when despite topping the table for most part of the tournament, they were knocked out at the end.
However, despite the stellar performances from some of the stars, these four teams managed to make it to the playoffs due to significant but overlooked contributions of the relatively lesser known players. Here we take a look at the top 10 bargain buys, whom you can include in your fantasy team for the playoffs.
Sachin Baby
The Royal Challengers Bangalore batter has not had as significant an impact as Virat Kohli, but that would be asking too much of him. The captain of Kerala’s limited overs side has scored 104 runs in 9 matches for the Bangalore-based franchise.
Baby has managed to maintain a strike-rate of 153.03 in this season at a more than decent average of 33.66. He has also picked up two wickets for his side in the 10 balls that he has bowled.
Coming at a salary of only 3,000, Baby could prove to be a smart choice for your fantasy team, if you want to save your purse for the big-guns.
Praveen Kumar
The Gujarat Lions spearhead has provided vital breakthroughs for his side and was one of the reasons for their impressive showing in the Powerplay. The former Indian pacer has picked up 9 wickets in 14 matches, but it is his meager economy rate of 7.51, which has impressed the most.
Kumar is a must pick for your fantasy team, especially keeping in mind his relatively low salary of 6,000 and his ability to maintain a low economy rate.