A lot of wonderful cricket is on display in the IPL; such innovation, such adaptability and such batting/bowling prowess. But two aspects of the game have made the fans cringe hard and question the standards of the arguably the greatest T20 league on the planet; the fielding and the umpiring. International cricketers have been guilty of dropping catches that even school kids would have held onto comfortably.
Fielding is a facet of the game that is in control of the players, and thus when a fielding howler occurs, you can maybe blame the players and make them train harder so that no such mistakes happen in the future. But umpiring decisions are something that are beyond their control, and thus when they take place, it sends down utter frustration across the team camps because you just can’t control them in any which way.
Umpiring standards have hit an all time low in this year’s IPL, with there being at least one bad decision every 3 games, something that is not acceptable in a tournament of this stature. Plumb LBWs are being overlooked, clear edges are not being given, and after every wicket the batsmen is being stopped to verify the no-ball, even if more than half of the bowler’s foot is behind the popping crease. The state of the umpiring is in shambles and the BCCI needs to bring in some new recruits to rectify this issue or the winner of this tournament won’t be decided solely on skill.
Also Read: Match Preview and Predictions for Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Lions
KKR continued with being shrewd about their game, executing their plans to perfection to beat an out of sorts Surnisers side. Lynn’s injury would have come as a huge setback for the unit, but they have come out as rejuvenated hawks, formulating innovative plans and executing them well on the field.
Delhi too have been playing some inspiring cricket, instilling a lot of faith and confidence in their inexperienced top order, which until now hasn’t disappointed one bit. Anderson came to the party last night, providing that much needed impetus lower down the order. Shahbaz Nadeem then kicked off things in the best possible way, pegging back the KXIP batsmen with 2 quick wickets only to be later exploited by the supreme Delhi bowling lineup!
Glenn Maxwell came way too down the order and chasing a momentous task, perished without making much of a difference. If KXIP want to go deep into this tournament, Maxwell cannot bat lower than the 4th position. I thought they had that part sorted, and I am hoping yesterday was just a minor aberration in an otherwise fearless start to the campaign.
Let’s get to business now!
IPL Fantasy League
Transfer out: Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Nadeem
Transfer in: Andrew Tye/Lasith Malinga, Krunal Pandya
Now, I already have Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah in my side for this game.
This would be the last game for Rohit in my side, as he has failed on four occasions this season and is no good coming in at number 4. Mumbai need to open with him, and maybe push Buttler down the order, to help both of them realise their full potential. And I say this because they are reluctant to drop Parthiv. The ideal condition would be opening with Buttler and Rohit and getting in Rayudu instead of Parthiv and giving the gloves to Buttler. But knowing Mumbai they just wouldn’t do the obvious.
Now, as neither Mumbai nor Gujarat play a match in the next 3 games, I would’t want to make more than one substitution for this game. Jos Buttler seems like a very promising pick for this game, especially with Gujarat’s meek bowling line up, but with no real assurance with regard to his batting position, I would like to save the transfer instead.
Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith are the overseas batting options that I could opt for when it comes to Gujarat Lions. I can’t get all three of them in, and you never really know which one of these 3 would tee off. But if there is one bowling attack that I would want all three of these to stay away from, it would Mumbai Indians(no matter how flat the pitch is). Mumbai have the trickery of Harbhajan, the slow left armers of Pandya, the bounce of McClenghan and the yorkers of Bumrah and Malinga. Thus, I leave all three of them out for this fixture.
The one substitution that I go for in this case is getting in the hat trick hero Andrew Tye. His knuckle balls and slower ones can bamboozle even the best of batsmen and with him having his high soaring performance in the last game itself, I expect him to be high on confidence and deliver once again tonight. He has a brilliant average of 21.94 in T20 cricket with 67 wickets in 52 games. And as he is sure to bowl at least 2 overs at the death, he becomes really invaluable to my team. But I get him in only if Gujarat bowl first, because if Gujarat bat first and succumb to a low score, Tye wouldn’t get a chance to ply his trade later in the innings.
On the flip side, if Mumbai bowl first and Malinga is drafted into the side, I’ll get Malinga in. Now, it could be a little bamboozling as to why I am opting for bowlers on a batting friendly Wankhede track. The major reason for this being that when you have too many batsmen who are in line to make a difference, you can never really know which one of them could have a hay day, especially when you can afford just one transfer. Death bowlers are always a safe option to go with as they will fetch you at least one wicket and thus end up giving you a minimum of 30 points.
For the uncapped player, I get in Krunal Pandya, which is an obvious choice, seeing his performance over the past week or so.
Captain: Jasprit Bumrah(if MI bowl first)/Andrew Tye(if GL bowl first)
Fandromeda tips on the next page:
Fandromeda
Transfer out: Glenn Maxwell, Rashid Khan
Transfer in: Jos Buttler, Andrew Tye/Lasith Malinga
Now, I already have Jasprit Bumrah in my side for this game.
A lot of today’s picks depend on the toss and if Rohit gives any clear indication about his or Buttler’s bating position. If Buttler opens I would contemplate getting him in, and if both of them open, I’ll get both these players into my side, as except Tye, the GL bowling doesn’t have much spine to it.
The Andrew Tye/Lasith Malinga selection remains same as the IPL Fantasy League section.
But my team combination doesn’t let me draft Rohit Sharma into my side, and hence I would be hoping that he doesn’t go big tonight.
So, apart from Tye/Malinga, I’ll only be going with Buttler, provided he opens the batting for Mumbai.
I have given my reasons for not picking any of Smith, Finch and BMac in the IPL Fantasy League section
Happy Team Picking 🙂
