IPL 2019 Fantasy Tips: Dream 11 prediction RR vs KXIP

After that drab opening fixture in Chennai to kickoff the IPL, the first double header provided cricket fans to rejoice and soak in the IPL spectacle.

David Warner led the charge at the Eden Gardens, scoring 85 on his comeback for SRH and setting up an exciting chase for the KKR batting unit.

Nitish Rana played the anchor’s role, before Russell decided to take matters in his own hands and power KKR through, thanks to those couple of sixes by Gill at the end as well.

And while it seemed like Russell’s innings could be one to savour fora few days, Rishabh Pant knocked him off his perch in a matter of hours. The Delhi lad dished out some of the most exquisite shots ever to score an 18 ball fifty(the first four balls of which he didn’t score off). The helicopter pick up shot over square leg off Bumrah and the one handed six over long on will be etched in every Indian cricket fan’s memory for a long time.

In the end, 214 proved to be a little too much for the MI batting unit, despite Yuvraj Singh putting on a little cameo of 53.

We are off to Jaipur tomorrow for Steve Smith’s return and for another tryst of the famous KL Rahul and Chris Gayle opening partnership.

Let’s get to business now.

Dream 11 Fantasy Prediction RR vs KXIP

Wicketkeeper

The toughest decision for this game is going to be selecting one from Jos Butler and KL Rahul. Both these batsmen are known to take the bowlers to the cleaners during the powerplay and either of them(or maybe both) could go berserk in Jaipur tomorrow.

Now, while it almost impossible to ascertain which one of them would go onto outscore the other, we sure can work up some logic. Jos Butler received the Man of the Match the last time these two teams faced off in the IPL. With the KXIP bowling lineup having added a mystery spinner in Varun Chakravarthy to their ranks, Butler wouldn’t find it as easy as last time.

I will try and answer the Rahul vs Butler query through the bowlers that the duo are going to be facing on Monday. While Butler will be up against the likes of Mujeeb, Ashwin, Varun; Rahul will be up against Archer, Gowtham, Stokes, Aaron etc.

Butler does have a clear weakness against spin, as exposed by Kuldeep during the England series and hence just because of the outfit he’ll be up against, I’ll be going in with Rahul.

Bowlers

In Jofra Archer and Andrew Tye we have two of the finest death bowlers around and both of them feature on Monday in Jaipur. The duo could get at least 4 wickets between themselves and it would be foolish of us to not draft them in.

Mujeeb’s trickery was on display in the IPL last year and in all the international T20 leagues ever since. He should be able to trouble the RR batting unit with his variations and could end up with at least a couple of wickets. Get him in.

For the final bowling spot, I am ready to take a gamble by placing my bets on Varun Chakravarthy, the mystery spinner from KXIP. If KXIP manage to unleash him on the RR middle order, he could sneak in through the defences of a couple of players, given that not a lot of people in the IPL circuit have seen him bowl.

All-Rounders 

Ben Stokes has been used at number 5 by RR and should in all probability bowl a couple of overs at the death. Stokes is the best all-rounder on show tomorrow and he should be amongst the points with this dual scoring ability.

For the 2nd all-rounder spot, I am going in with Krishnappa Gowtham, who rose as one of RR’s shining lights in the IPL 2018 campaign. Gowtham could slot into that number 6 role and is sure to bowl his quota of 4 overs, as RR might go in with just the lone spinner.

From the all-rounders on display tomorrow, only these two fit the bill and hence I won’t be drafting in any more of them.

Batsman

Chris Gayle will be the first batsman that I draft in for this game, because I don’t want to be missing out on the Gayle Storm hitting Jaipur on Monday.

With the Dream 11 point system not laying any kind of emphasis on strike rate, getting in Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith seems like a lucrative deal. While the duo do take their time getting in, they generally get the runs on the board, which is all that should matter to you as a Fantasy manager.

Mayank Agarwal will be my last pick for this game. Having earned his India call up and performed well in the domestic circuit, Mayank Agarwal is riding high on confidence and could very well make IPL 2019 his own. His debut for India turned out to be a memorable one, as he scored 77 while replacing KL Rahul. Coming in at just 8.5 credits and getting to bat at number 3, Mayank Agarwal is a must have.

Captain: Jofra Archer(if RR bowl first)/Andrew Tye(if KXIP bowl first)

Vice-Captain: KL Rahul

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Now, I already have Varun Chakravarthy in my side for this game. Kings XI play twice in three days and hence I will try and bring in at least two KXIP players into my XI for this game.

KL Rahul will be my first pick for the game. While he hasn’t been on song for India in the last one year, his 2018 IPL was a season to remember. In India colours too he has flourished in the shortest format and in a 2 game in 3 day situation, you wouldn’t want to miss out on his services. Get him in for sure.

While Chris Gayle seems like an attractive option, Mayank Agarwal is the safer one, as he wouldn’t be up agains the new ball and could still make use of the powerplay. Also, Mayank gives you more assurance with respect to the number of runs and hence could be the safer option. However, if you are feeling a little adventurous and don’t want to be sulking if a Gayle Storm hits Jaipur tonight, go ahead, draft Gayle in.

From RR, the only player worth investing in at this point is Jos Butler. He keeps, will open the batting and if his form is anything to go by, will demolish the RR bowlers. He was the man of the match the last time these two sides met.

If you want to bring in another RR player, I would suggest you get in one from Archer and Stokes. If RR bowl first, get in Jofra Archer, else go in with Stokes.

Captain: KL Rahul