IPL 2019, Match 1 - CSK vs RCB: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

The 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will get underway with a South Indian derby. The defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will face-off in the season opener. MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, the captains of the respective teams, are pitted against each other in what is expected to be a grand start to the much-awaited tournament.

Just ahead of the tournament, the CSK have been jolted with a blow thanks to an injury Lungi Ngidi who has been ruled out of the whole season. They haven’t named a replacement for him yet and will be short of a quality overseas fast bowler for this game. The Men in Yellow though are capable enough to make it up with the quality players they possess in the squad.

The RCB are once again up for another season with the hope of making it big. Like every year, they have some of the stars in the international arena and local talent as well. But the team will be deprived of Marcus Stoinis’ services who is currently in the UAE involved in the five-match ODI series against Pakistan. The onus will be primarily on Kohli and AB de Villiers again to get the team off to a good start this season.

Match Details:

The first game of the IPL between CSK and RCB will be hosted by the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The match starts at 8:00 PM local time (2:30 PM GMT).

The game will be live on Star Sports in India. (Live streaming on Hotstar)

Weather Conditions:

Chennai is known to be humid and it will take a toll on the players. The temperatures will hover in the early 30s during the match and there is no possibility of rain at all.

Last five completed T20 matches:

CSK – W, W, W, L, W

RCB – L, W, W, W, L

Pitch Condition/Report:

Average 1st innings score: 174.5 (Last four night T20 matches)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 3, Lost – 1

Probable Playing XI:

Chennai Super Kings (CSK):

Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir.

Bench: Faf du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Dhruv Shorey, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chaitanya Bishnoi, David Willey, Mitchell Santner, Monu Kumar, N Jagadeesan, Sam Billings, Karn Sharma, Mohit Sharma, KM Asif.

Note: Faf du Plessis can be best utilised at the top of the order. But with Dhoni likely to bat at four, Rayudu can’t be moved down the order to accommodate Du Plessis.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB):

Parthiv Patel(w), Virat Kohli(c), Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, Shimron Hetmyer, Shivam Dube, Colin de Grandhomme, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini

Bench: Devdutt Padikkal, Himmat Singh, Milind Kumar, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Colin de Grandhomme, Pawan Negi, Akshdeep Nath, Prayas Barman, Heinrich Klaasen, Navdeep Saini, Kulwant Khejroliya, Washington Sundar.

Note: Moeen Ali opening the innings will help RCB in adding an extra batsman or all-rounder. Also, Moeen Ali can attack in the power-play and score quick runs.

Team News:

There is no news about Mitchell Santner joining the CSK as of now.

New Zealand players Tim Southee and Colin de Grandhomme are expected to join the RCB camp only ahead of the game.

Power Picks:

Shane Watson in PSL 2019: 430 runs at an average of 43 from 12 innings with four fifties.

He was the only player with 400+ runs in the PSL this season.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain Options: Virat Kohli, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali.

Vice Captain Options: Shimron Hetmyer, AB de Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal, Dwayne Bravo.

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Head to Head/ Small Leagues:

Keeper – MS Dhoni

Batsmen – Virat Kohli (C), Shimron Hetmyer, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson (VC)

All-Rounders – Dwayne Bravo, Moeen Ali, Washington Sundar

Bowlers – Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umesh Yadav.

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Grand/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – Parthiv Patel

Batsmen – Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu (C), Virat Kohli (VC), AB de Villiers

All-Rounders – Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shivam Dube

Bowlers – Imran Tahir, Mohit Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Expert Advice:

Only two of Kohli, De Villiers and Shane Watson can be picked due to their high credits. Kohli cannot be ignored and De Villiers might struggle early on in these conditions.

Probable Winners:

CSK, playing at home, have the advantage to take the early honours but one can never predict how RCB will play.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.

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