When a team is pegged back into a corner, bold decisions are what makes it spring back into contention. Kings XI were heavily praised for their clarity of thought in the early part of the season, but they stuttered big time during the middle phases, when suddenly Maxwell was being used in the way that is criminal to say the least. There is a method to Maxi’s big hitting, you can’t equate to slogging, and that is why it is tantalising too see him being used a mere slog overs specialist. Use him up the order, give him time to show his prowess, and revel in the Maxi show.
But the boldest decision of all was sending Saha up the order, when you had Manan Vohra sitting in the pavilion. It was an opportunity for Saha to show his skill in the shorter format and he obliged big time, scoring a classy 90 odd to lead his side to 230 in a must win game.
Also Read: 10 of the biggest player altercations in IPL history
Simmons and Parthiv gave Mumbai a rollicking start, and when it looked like the stage was set for Rohit to take over and guide his side home, Kings XI made an unlikely comeback in the game, leaving Mumbai with 94 to get in 6 overs. Rohit Sharma accounted for another failure and Nitish Rana too couldn’t replicate his early tournament form.
But when have Mumbai Indians given up so quickly? A Pollard-Pandya special led to the Wankhede believing that a miracle could be pulled off, only to be derailed by a Sandeep Sharma lesson in death bowling in the 19th over. Mohit Sharma then had to defend 16 in the last over, and ultimately did with ease, winning the game for his side by 7 runs.
Kings XI can breathe easy now, but they’ll have to do it all over again in Pune on Sunday, and do some ‘praying’ before the game as well, because only a SRH loss would muster a place for them in the playoffs.
Delhi Daredevils vs Rising Pune Supergiant
It is getting a little tricky for all the teams present in the middle table rut. None of them are sure of a playoff spot and it is only tomorrow that air will start to clear a bit.
RPS need to win at least one of their last two games to guarantee a playoff spot. A loss in both games could mean them bowing out, owing to their poor run rate.
Delhi on the other hand will go around collecting ‘prides’. Their young domestic side has reinvented themselves and Rahul Dravid has been true to his idea of using the IPL as a platform to nurture young Indian talent, rather than being sucked into striving for results.
Let’s get to business now!
IPL Fantasy Tips on the next page:
IPL Fantasy League(Fantasy Guide for DD vs RPS)
Transfer out: Martin Guptill, Axar Patel, Manan Vohra
Transfer in: Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Shreyas Iyer
Now, I already have Rishab Pant and Rahul Tripathi in my side for this game.
The first player that I bring in for this game is Ben Stokes. Stokes has single handedly won RPS 3 games, one with his batting skills, one with his bowling skills and one with his brilliance in the field. This is what you invest in big players for. With RPS playing two games before the playoffs, you need to get him in!
Steve Smith will be my second pick for this game. Smith hasn’t really set the IPL on fire this season, with his only major contribution being the 100 in the first game against Mumbai Indians. With two big games scheduled for the franchise, you can expect the captain to fire big time.
Due to the paucity of transfers, I won’t be making any other changes to my squad for this game.
For the uncapped player, I’ll be bringing in Shreyas Iyer for this game. A match winning knock in the last game is enough for him to warrant a place in my side.
Captain: Ben Stokes
Fandromeda Fantasy Tips on the next page:
Fandromeda(Fantasy Guide for DD vs RPS)
Transfer out: Sandeep Sharma, Martin Guptill, Lasith Malinga
Transfer in: Steve Smith, Jaydev Unadkat, Rahul Tripathi
Now, I already have Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson, Rishab Pant and Mohammad Shami in my team for this game.
The first player that I get in for this game is Steve Smith, for reasons already mentioned in the IPL Fantasy League section.
Jaydev Unadkat will be my second pick for the game. His slower ones have bamboozled batsmen in the slog overs and you can always count on him in getting a few cheap wickets at the end even if he is receiving some stick from the bowlers.
The last transfer for this game will be getting in Rahul Tripathi. Now, this could be a hit or miss transfer, but you need to take a few chances towards the fag end of a tournament and thus I don’t mind opting for the explosive batsman.
Batting Star: Steve Smith/Rishab Pant(whoever bats second)
Bowling Star: Ben Stokes
