IPL 2016 has now come to the point where we are a match away from the winner, and we are definitely going to get a new winner this side. Hyderabadi franchise has won it once, but that was Deccan Chargers, way back in 2009 in South Africa. Royal Challengers Bangalore has tasted the finals of the IPL.
This match will be between a batting heavy side in RCB, and a bowling heavy side on SRH, though they have been weakened by few injuries to their pacers. However, they still have a bench strength they can boast of. Mustafizur is expected to be fit for the finals, and that will be heartening for SRH fans.
Kohli and AB deVilliers have been in some form this season, coupled with the fact that their home ground is Chinnaswamy Stadium, where runs are not just scored but injected out of a bowler. Not taking away from the both, but to be fair, the best batsman of the season so far is David Warner, the one man army of Sunrisers Hyderabad batting line-up. He doesn’t just score runs, but scores them quickly, doesn’t have the luxury to chew up deliveries and accelerate at the end, something which Virat Kohli has enjoyed under AB deVilliers and even K Rahul.
The final being at Chinnaswamy stadium lights up the hope from RCB batsman to score big again, but if any attack is potent enough to stop them, it has to be SRH’s attack. Bhuvi’s swing can count for a batsman initially and then Mustafizur may well give nothing away in the death overs.
Going by weather predictions, there are chances of rain. If the complete day is washed away, there’s a provision of a reserve day, and if both the days are washed out, the winner will be decided with a Super Over. Or else, RCB will be crowned as Champions as they were ahead of SRH on the table. In case of a curtailed over the match, it will be advantage Sunrisers for the fact that their batting may not be exposed to the best extent.
Considering all the parameters, if Mustafizur is fit, SRH has slightly higher chances of winning. SRH is not the best of batting side, arguably one man army, but RCB’s bowling attack makes up for this.
For fantasy, the key is to pick a batsman who bats at the top, keeping in mind the credits one have. Personally, I would not pick Chris Gayle, going by his current form, which may turn out to be a blunder at Bangalore, but one will have to leave out a batsman.
Virat Kohli, AB deVilliers, David Warner & Shikhar Dhawan are my 4 picks as a batsman. Among wicket-keepers, K Rahul has to be an automatic choice here, given Naman Ojha bats too low down the order, and sometimes as a floater.
Among the all-rounders, Shane Watson is an automatic choice ; he bats three down, bowls at the death. Moises Henriques is another one. He batted at No 3 in the previous match, and bowls his overs as well. If Mustafizur is not fit, I will personally pick Ben Cutting. He was used at the death in the previous match, plus this lad can hit some big ones. Those who have watched previous editions of BigBash will agree on this. One can’t expect a lot from the bowlers here, especially during the middle overs. So, those all-rounders who bowl at the death and can hit big ones are useful here. I have opted to drop Yuvraj; expect Watson to turn up to Yuvraj as soon as he comes into bat. Although, if Mustafizur is fit, I am tempted to pick him.
Among the bowlers, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is a must pick. Chahal is another one; he has been fantastic for RCB. Chris Jordan is another death bowler and I will surely have him, only if Mustafizur is unfit . Bipul Sharma has been good in the previous 2 matches, but being a finger spinner, don’t expect much from him at Bangalore.
Wicket-Keeper: K Rahul
Batsman: Virat Kohli, AB deVilliers, David Warner & Shikhar Dhawan
All-rounders: Shane Watson, Moises Henriques, Ben Cutting ( if Mustafizur is unfit), Yuvraj Singh ( if Mustafizur is fit)
Bowlers: Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Chris Jordan( if Mustafizur is unfit) & Mustafizur Rahman (if fit)
Hope this helps. Best of luck !!
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