IPL 2023: 3 surprise picks for Dream11 fantasy team for PBKS vs MI match
Punjab Kings (PBKS) will play their 10th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League season (IPL 2023) on Wednesday, May 3, against the Mumbai Indians (MI). The PCA IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali will host this contest.
A win in this game could take PBKS into the upper half of the points table. They are currently sixth, having registered five wins from nine matches. The Kings are only two points behind tabletoppers Gujarat Titans, but their inferior net run rate has kept them outside the playoff spots.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Indians are one spot below the Punjab Kings in the points table heading into this contest. MI have played eight matches, recording four victories and four losses.
The last time PBKS and MI crossed paths was last month in Mumbai. The Wankhede Stadium played host to that IPL 2023 match, where the Kings defeated Mumbai by 13 runs.
Sam Curran and Harpreet Singh Bhatia's magnificent fifth-wicket partnership helped PBKS post 214 runs on the board in that game. Chasing 215, Mumbai Indians managed to touch the 200-run mark, but Arshdeep Singh's top-quality death bowling denied them a win on home soil.
The pitch in Mohali is a batting paradise, and fans should expect another high-scoring clash between PBKS and MI. The likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Cameron Green, Tim David, Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone and Atharva Taide will be among the top picks in Dream11 teams for tonight's game.
However, in this listicle now, we will look at three such surprise picks that could end up proving to be differentials in this IPL 2023 contest.
#1 Kagiso Rabada | PBKS
South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has struggled to make an impact in IPL 2023 so far. The right-arm pacer has played four matches, picking up just five wickets, and his economy rate has been more than eight runs per over in all four games.
Dream11 users might be reluctant to pick him in their teams as he leaked 52 runs in his four overs during his previous outing at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium. However, Rabada is an experienced bowler who is likely to return to form soon.
If he gets his line and length right in Wednesday's IPL 2023 match, the South African can earn loads of fantasy points.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan | PBKS
Another PBKS player to appear on the list is their captain Shikhar Dhawan. The southpaw was in fine touch when the season started, but has not played any big knocks for Punjab since returning from an injury break.
Dhawan has managed scores of 28, 1 and 8 in his last three innings. He showed signs of returning to form in the last match against the Chennai Super Kings before being dismissed.
The conditions in Mohali will be good for batting, making Dhawan a wildcard choice for captaining Dream11 teams.
#3 Ishan Kishan | MI
Ishan Kishan has not been able to deliver the goods consistently for the Mumbai Indians this season. He aggregated 28 runs off 23 balls on a flat track against the Rajasthan Royals in his last match and in the two innings before that, he scored only 14 runs from 25 balls.
While Kishan may not be in good form, he will be playing on a batting-friendly wicket tonight. The Lucknow Super Giants scored 257 runs batting first in the last match at this venue, which will certainly give batters some confidence.
If Kishan middles the ball from the start, he could even end up scoring a ton in this IPL 2023 match.