After yet another edge of the seat finish from Chennai Super Kings, we move to Jaipur where the other returning franchise marks its homecoming.
Probable Lineups
Rajasthan Royals
1 Ajinkya Rahane (c) 2 D’Arcy Short 3 Sanju Samson 4 Ben Stokes 5 Rahul Tripathi 6 Jos Buttler (wk) 7 K Gowtham 8 Shreyas Gopal 9 Dhawal Kulkarni 10 Jaydev Unadkat 11 Ben Laughlin
Delhi Daredevils
1 Colin Munro 2 Gautam Gambhir (c) 3 Shreyas Iyer 4 Rishabh Pant (wk) 5 Glenn Maxwell 6 Chris Morris 7 Vijay Shankar 8 Rahul Tewatia 9 Amit Mishra 10 Mohammad Shami 11 Trent Boult
Here’s my team for the clash.
Subs Used – 2
Subs Left – 68
Changes –
Chris Lynn -> Colin Munro
Shane Watson -> Chris Morris
Nitish Rana -> Ishan Kishan
Power Player – Chris Morris
2nd Innings Power Player – Colin Munro (if Rajasthan bat first)/D’Arcy Short (if Delhi bat first)
Rajasthan Royals
As far as Rajasthan are concerned, I have enough coverage – in D’Arcy Short and Jaydev Unadkat. Since their next match is in 4 days, I can’t carry others to the next match. They also don’t have any other players who will hurt a lot even if they come off. Ajinkya Rahane is a decent pick, but only if you had him the previous match – his best case scenario is a 50 odd off 40 odd balls, yielding 80 points.
Ben Stokes looked out of touch last match, at least with the ball. With the injury he’s nursing, it is to be expected, and I don’t see him bowling more than 2 overs. It’s the bat he poses a genuine threat with. But the decision to ignore him was successful last match, and since it’s hard to justify using a sub to take him out again next match, I’m sticking with it.
D’Arcy Short is my batsman of choice, and my 2nd Innings Power Player if RR bat 2nd. He was quite unlucky last game – run out, and he still remains a man in pristine form – top scorer in the BBL and backed it up with solid performances for Australia. Against a pedestrian DD attack, he does poses a big threat. We all saw what form Mohammad Shami and Amit Mishra are in in their last match, and Short will have good memories of Trent Boult after thrashing him around the park in New Zealand. Could also roll his arm for some handy chinaman.
Jos Buttler bats too low to be relevant.
Delhi Daredevils
I’ve used both my transfers on Delhi players. Delhi have their next game in 2 matches time, and then 3 matches, so I can get good use out of these subs. The first one, Chris Morris, is a no-brainer for Power Player. He showed against Punjab why he should be in your side for all Delhi games. Even on a day where factors went against him – he was demoted below Rahul Tewatia because of Mujeeb Zadran’s threat with the bat, and there were no death overs for him to bowl in because of KL Rahul’s onslaught – he came up with 80 points (160 if you captained him). He’ll bat in the death against a meek Rajasthan death bowling lineup, and bowl in the death against a long tail – must-have.
I’ve decided to take a punt on Colin Munro for the other. Although the #2 T20I batsman had a disappointing encounter against Punjab, that was because R Ashwin and Mujeeb Zadran had tied him up in knots. Against Rajasthan, he’ll be up against the far less threatening K Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal. Rahane will be wary to bring on a spinner in the Powerplay lest Gautam Gambhir tees off again, so Munro can feast on the Jofra Archer-less Rajasthan attack. The next game – against Mumbai at the Wankhede is also ideal for Munro, with Pat Cummins ruled out. He’s the kind of player who’ll give you massive points even if he comes off in one.
I’ve decided to ignore Gautam Gambhir, though he’s not a bad pick with Delhi fixtures in quick succession – he’ll give you the steady, but unspectacular returns. I’ve chosen Munro’s high risk high reward returns, but it could be different for you personally.
Glenn Maxwell is back – he’s in the form of his life, but where will he bat is the question. If he bats in the top 4, he’s a great player to have for subsequent Delhi matches, but he could just as easily bat at #5. I’ll wait and get rid of the uncertainty.
Rishabh Pant is someone I’ve kept for squad balance purposes. Much like Maxwell though, there’s uncertainty around his position. Gambhir said he’d like to see Pant in the top 3, but then went ahead and sent him at #5 in the last match. Keep if you have him, don’t get him if you don’t.
Uncapped Picks
I’ve actually gone for Ishan Kishan here – he plays in the next match. With Mumbai having 2 matches in 3 after this, he’s a quality pick. And with Kishan already in the side, I can choose amongst the rich choice of uncapped players in tomorrow’s match – Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya and Siddarth Kaul are some of the best uncapped players in the tournament. Also assists me with a batsman for squad balance.
It may be wiser to get one of Kishan, Suryakumar or Kaul in for this match. This match doesn’t particularly have top uncapped choices – Rahul Tripathi batted at 5 last match, which is a waste of his capabilities. K Gowtham didn’t have a great match last time out, and Delhi have some of the best players of spin in Gambhir, Iyer, Pant and Maxwell. Similar applies to Shreyas Gopal – who could share his quota with D’Arcy Short. Rahul Tewatia will probably bat at 8 today, and his potential returns are insignificant compared to those playing tomorrow.
