Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019: Round 3, Punjab vs Saurashtra: Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI Updates & Fantasy Cricket Tips - February 24th, 2019
Two of the more stronger teams in the domestic circuit, Punjab, and Saurashtra take center stage as part of their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy clash on Sunday. Cheteshwar Pujara has surprisingly been the standout batsmen for Saurashtra with the test specialist even scoring a well-paced hundred in a losing cause against Railways whereas Punjab are yet to open their account after losses to Mumbai and MP. The Emerald High School Ground has seen scores ranging in the mid 150 indicating a good contest between bat and ball amongst players who have ample IPL and international experience throughout their vivid careers.
Squads to choose from:
Punjab:
Harbhajan Singh, Anmolpreet Singh, Baltej Singh, Manpreet Gony, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Karan Kaila, Sharad Lumba, Krishan, Mandeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Shubman Gill, Prabhsimran Singh, Barinder Sran, Manan Vohra, Yuvraj Singh
Saurashtra:
Aarpit Vasavada, Agnivesh Ayachi, Jay Chauhan, Divyaraj Chauhan, Yuvraj Chudasama, Harvik Desai, Sheldon Jackson, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Vishvaraj Jadeja, Chirag Jani, Prerak Mankad, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hardik Rathod, Chetan Sakariya, Jaydev Unadkat, Robin Uthappa
Playing XI Updates:
Punjab:
After a couple of losses already, Punjab will be looking towards the likes of Shubman Gill and Yuvraj Singh, who haven't turned up yet. Punjab did well to restrict Mumbai to 155 but couldn't follow it up with a good batting performance. Prabhsimran Singh was at his best with a boundary-laden fifty off just 18 balls. No changes are expected of Punjab in spite of the losses, although it should be another tough task to get one over Saurashtra.
Possible XI: Gill, PrabhSimran (WK), Mandeep, Anmolpreet, Yuvraj, Gurkeerat, Harbhajan (C), Gony, Sran, Sharma and Baltej
Saurashtra:
Pujara has been the standout player for Saurashtra with a hundred and a fifty to his name so far, while the likes of D. Jadeja and Unadkat have impressed with the ball in hand. Robin Uthappa and Sheldon Jackson need to step up if they are keeping pace at the top of the table along with Mumbai. Harvik Desai was brilliant in the previous match and is one to keep an eye out for.
Possible XI: Harvik (WK), Pujara, Uthappa, Jackson, Vasavada, Mankad, Jani, Chudasama, Unadkat(C), Jadeja and Sakariya.
Match Details:
Punjab vs Saurashtra, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019, Round 3, Group C
24th February 2019, 9:00 AM IST
Emerald High School Ground, Indore
Fantasy Tips and Suggestions:
Wicket-keeper: Amongst a strong pool of players in the wicket-keeper section, Robin Uthappa is the most experienced of them and should be preferred in spite of the other two, Desai and Prabhsimran scoring fifties in the previous round of fixtures. Although PrabhSimran could be opted for to accommodate more established players in the fantasy side, Uthappa is bound to score big runs against a good Punjab side come Sunday with his array of shots.
Batsmen: Cheteshwar Pujara has for long been labeled as a Test specialist but is slowly shedding the tag with good performances in the shorter formats. He is one to have in the fantasy team, alongside Shubman Gill and Sheldon Jackson. Anmolpreet Singh is also a great option to have in the team although his batting position could be a put-off for a few fantasy players.
All-rounders: Gurkeerat Mann Singh and Chirag Jani are the preferred all-rounders for the fantasy side while Yuvraj Singh could also slot in alongside them in case of an extra batting option from Punjab. Yuvraj is also capable of rolling his arm, if necessary, rendering him a handy option.
Bowlers: With a number of bowlers who have played for the Indian national team, on offer, the quartet of Jaydev Unadkat, Sandeep Sharma, Barinder Sran and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja are the ideal set of players to opt for in the fantasy team. Manpreet Gony's inclusion is also a possibility with the tall pacer capable of providing a few lusty blows as well towards the end of the innings.
Captain: Cheteshwar Pujara's form is impossible to ignore making him a prime candidate for captain, although the likes of Shubman Gill and Robin Uthappa would have other ideas. Gill made the Indian side in NZ with little success but that shouldn't put down the KKR batsmen who is still one of Punjab's best batsmen in the format
Fantasy Suggestion #1: Robin Uthappa (WK), Sheldon Jackson, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shubman Gill, Anmolpreet Singh, Gurkeerat Singh, Chirag Jani, Sandeep Sharma, Jaydev Unadkat, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja and Barinder Sran. Captain: Cheteshwar Pujara
Fantasy Suggestion #2: PrabhSimran Singh (WK), Sheldon Jackson, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shubman Gill, Yuvraj Singh, Gurkeerat Singh, Chirag Jani, Sandeep Sharma, Jaydev Unadkat, Manpreet Gony, and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja. Captain: Shubman Gill