IPL 2014: Fantasy Guru - Don't lose your plot; reserve transfers

Uncapped player:

Even if Agarwal plays, it will take minutes for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Dale Steyn to sort him out. Jadhav, who is most likely to play, is one of the brightest batting prospects in India, although he has to play in the top 4 to have an effect.

How do we know where Daredevils have planned to play him without watching a match with him being a part of it? So, he remains out for this match.

Lokesh Rahul is quite handful batting at No. 4, but I don’t see him playing a big part in the match with a possible top 3 and Darren Sammy dominance on the cards.

So, it comes down to Shahbaz Nadeem vs. Karn Sharma. Nadeem, a left-arm spinner, can be expected to have a difficult time against Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner (two lefties), which turns me towards Karn Sharma.

Chennai Super Kings vs. Mumbai Indians:

Guru’s team for the CSK vs. MI match

Transfer made – 2; Transfer available – 58

Captain – Suresh Raina

Rohit Sharma in – Amit Mishra outKieron Pollard in – David Warner outYuzvendra Chahal in – Karn Sharma out (uncapped player trick employed for budget and tactical reasons)

I have 3 players already in my team who feature in this fixture: McCullum, Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu. One player who will walk into my team in any Mumbai Indians match, unless he is in a poor run of form, will be Rohit Sharma, for reasons already mentioned in my previous articles.

While I stuck with Michael Hussey in the first two matches, it is not yet sure he has found his touch back. Having already picked him twice only to see him flop, I am not ready to take the risk again. One thing is for sure: being the class act that he is, he will start scoring bulk of runs soon. Once we get a clear picture of it, let him get back into the team.

McCullum vs. Dwayne Smith:

This was a decision made well ahead of McCullum’s horror shows in the last couple of matches. Again, as I said, I stand by it, as I really don’t see how one is better than the other. Both have similar strengths and weaknesses. If one can succeed, other can, too. Just that it has so far happened to be the West Indian. You really can’t say reasons such as McCullum is out of form, that too after how he started the IPL 7, and that Dwayne can bring points with his bowling. MS Dhoni did not use him with the ball in the Rajasthan Royals match, which shows the unpredictability surrounding his bowling chances.

All these factors apart, it would make zero sense to have McCullum replaced with Smith now. I have made a decision, and, with no cases of Schedule Mantra anywhere close, I stick to it for logical purposes as well as for sanity to prevail.

Du Plessis at No. 4 doesn’t quite seem the player he is as an opener, and Chennai will do well to understand it. MS Dhoni is a tempting option, with the CSK openers’ weakness against Pragyan Ojha (left-arm spin). However, after his flop show at No. 5 against Rajasthan Royals, I doubt that whether he will be positive enough to stick to the position or play safe by promoting Ravindra Jadeja or Mithun Manhas.

Ravichandran Ashwin against Rayudu, Rohit and Hussey wouldn’t reap high rewards. If you really consider including Jadeja as a part of playing 11 just because he produced a match-winning performance, I advise a few weeks off from playing fantasy cricket (note: this will hold true even if Jadeja scores 75 and picks up 5 wickets against Mumbai). You should never pick an all-rounder who bats at 6 in a batting-heavy team and bowls spin against good players of slow bowling.

The rise of Kieron Pollard:

Kieron Pollard, who is sure to bat at No. 5 no matter what happens and bowl a few overs, is a gamble worth taking against CSK’s weak death bowling unit. It gains further weight when you consider the fact that MI batsmen haven’t been delivering and the team follows up with a match against Delhi Daredevils soon. Although Mumbai Indians’ two matches don’t fit the Schedule Mantra, you should have noticed me mentioning an exception to the rule in a 4-match round: it is when you see heavy scoring opportunities in both the matches, and I see it here. So, I will be taking him in. The way he hit Yuzvendra Chahal indicated he is in some form, although he fell to a brilliant catch at the deep.

Stay out, ‘Slinga’ Malinga:

Raina, Dhoni, McCullum: All of them can play Malinga; infact, they can slog him well. Smith and Faf are not mugs, as well. Jadeja knows his ways. Why do I need Malinga here?

Although Ojha stands a good chance of picking up a couple of wickets in the match, the fact that the next MI match is being played at Sharjah, a good batting wicket, makes him unworthy of a spot. He is neither a Narine to worry about while leaving out of the team nor is a fantasy managers’ favourite to affect us so much.

No other bowler from both sides look good enough to me.

Uncapped player spot: Aditya Tare would find it difficult to escape the new-ball threat that Ishwar Pandey and Ben Hilfenhaus pose. The only other uncapped player Pandey is in the team already. So, the uncapped player trick is employed here. Bring in Yuzvendra Chahal.