IPL 2014: Fantasy Guru - Game enters make or break stage; 150-point returns the priority

Rahane has only scored heavily in matches I have not had him. There is no logical reason to it; it is just that I have had terrible luck throughout the season. I am not getting him in this time. The one player who I choose to have ahead of him will be a controversial selection given that I already have 2 players from the top 4 in that team: Shikhar Dhawan.

There are 5 reasons why I choose to have him:

1. He seems close to finding his touch 2. He is up against easier bowling attacks 3. He plays on good decks 4. He fits into Schedule Mantra 5. The player he replaces – Rohit Sharma – can get back in by the time he plays his next match

This may look like overkill. But can you guarantee me who among Finch, Dhawan and Warner will make it big in the next two matches? I don’t think anyone can give the assurance. So I choose to implement Schedule Mantra and go ahead with it.

As I have players with better scoring opportunities in my team, Dale Steyn is left out. Darren Sammy will not get enough time to bat with the top 4 expected to make use of the good batting decks. No other capped player is worth the consideration.

Uncapped player pick:

This is a knotty problem. Lokesh Rahul and Karun Nair stand a good chance of giving decent 60-point returns. Rahul has no real concerns, while Nair could be troubled by the Sunrisers’ opening duo of Bhuvi-Steyn. Pravin Tambe and Karan Sharma will be battling against the nature of the deck. While Tambe will be bowling to a weak middle order, Karan Sharma will be up against effective players of spin bowling on flat decks.

Samson threatens to make it big but loses it around 35-40 run mark; being a wicketkeeper, he is a better bet as compared to Rahul or Nair, though.

Preference order:

1. Sanju Samson 2. Lokesh Rahul 3. Pravin Tambe 4. Karun Nair 5. Karan Sharma

With Samson already in my team, I go in with Tambe, as I can’t have Rahul in for combination reasons.

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Kings X1 Punjab:

Guru’s team for RCB vs. KXIP match

Transfers made – 0; Transfers remaining – 36Sanju Samson out – Lokesh Rahul in Captain – Glenn Maxwell/Virat Kohli

Bringing in Virender Sehwag for one match will be a reflex move. So, the Kings X1 part of it is settled. With Virat Kohli in and the uncertainty surrounding AB de Villiers’ batting spot, the only other player who demands his selection is Chris Gayle.

The secret to Gayle’s success so far has been his patience in getting through the testing phase, which he is fortunate enough to have done quite successfully: The swing bowlers get the better of him, but they don’t find the all-important edge. Adding to it, he manages to remain out of the strike against the bowlers who are capable of getting his wickets (off-spinners and new ball bowlers) on a consistent basis. It appears to be a conscious effort.

Kings X1 have the bowlers in Sandeep Sharma and Mitchell Johnson to nail him this time. However, if he escapes them, god help Punjab! Although Chinnaswamy is flat, it is one of those strips in India that provide appreciable assistance to the pacers in the first 6 overs. I bank on that factor and also on the players I have preferred ahead of him – Warner and Finch – to give more points than the West Indian over the course of two matches: the same logic I used to keep Watson out.

With restrictions to overseas players, you need to be prepared to make such sacrifices, more so, when you see some logic behind having them out. I see it in the exclusions of Watto and Gayle; therefore, I go ahead with it.

Uncapped player pick:

With RCB’s base at Bangalore, Yuzvendra Chahal will find it difficult to strike regularly from now on. However, since I have him in the team already, I don’t see much of a choice here. Harshal Patel, Rishi Dhawan and Akshar Patel stand little chance of giving good returns on flat decks and against top class batting sides.

Mandeep is quite a talented player. He has all the strokes that a player of his age should. Although the angle of Mitchell Starc and pace of Varun Aaron can disturb his flow, he seems to be a much better choice than both the Patels and Dhawan.

Preference order:

1. Sandeep Sharma 2. Mandeep Singh 3. All others

Since I can’t bring in Mandeep Singh due to combination reasons, I use the uncapped player trick here and bring in Rahul keeping in mind the next fixture.