Ranji Trophy 2019-20, Round 9, Elite Group A and B: Saurashtra vs Tamil Nadu– Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The Round 9, Elite Group A and B fixture of the Ranji Trophy 2019-20 will be played between Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.

The match starts at 9:30 AM local time & IST (04:00 AM GMT).

Preview for Dream11 Fantasy

After eight engrossing rounds of First-Class cricket across the length and breadth of the country, we are finally down to the last round of the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy season. As of now, only three teams- Gujarat [29 points], Saurashtra [28] and Andhra [27] have sealed their place into the knockouts.

Only five teams will qualify for the knockouts from Group A & B and each of Bengal (26), Karnataka (25), Punjab (24), Uttar Pradesh (20), Tamil Nadu (19), Vidarbha (18) and Delhi (18) are in contention for the two elusive spots. Tamil Nadu, however, will need to win by a bonus point to entertain any chances of making it to the knockouts. They come into this game on the back of a commanding win by an innings and 57 runs at the expense of Baroda.

Weather Condition/Report

The weather in the next four days in Saurashtra is expected to be bright and sunny. While the temperature is set to be between 17 and 34 degrees Celsius on all the four days, the humidity is set to hover around 27%. Chances of rain- minimal.

Pitch Condition/Report:

The track in Rajkot has always been a belter for the batsman and a graveyard for the bowlers. And, it has proved that way this season as well. In the three games played at the venue, 500+ first innings score has been racked up twice and two of them have ended in a high-scoring draw.

Injury and Availability News

Vijay Shankar might play this game as he has returned from New Zealand after playing for India A.

Jaydev Unadkat didn’t play the previous game due to a niggle. He might play this game.

Probable Playing XIs

Saurashtra

Harvik Desai, Snell Patel (WK), Divyaraj Chauhan, Sheldon Jackson, Arpit Vasavada (c), Chirag Jani, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Prerak Mankad, Jaydev Unadkat/Kamlesh Makvana, Parth Bhut, Kusang Patel

Bench – Avi Barot, Chetan Sakariya, Vandit Jivrajani, Samarth Vyas, Jay Chauhan, Vishvaraj Jadeja, Jaydev Unadkat/Kamlesh Makwana

Tamil Nadu:

Abhinav Mukund, Laxmesha Suryaprakash, Kaushik Gandhi, Baba Aparajith, Dinesh Karthik, Baba Indrajith, N Jagadeesan (WK), Abhishek Tanwar, M Mohammed, Ravi Sai Kishore, K Vignesh

Bench: M Siddharth, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, T Natarajan, Murali Vijay, Vijay Shankar, Murugan Ashwin, Shahrukh Khan, J Kousik, Ganga Sridhar Raju, Hari Nishanth, K Mukunth

Top Picks:

Saurashtra: Sheldon Jackson [605 runs at 55], Arpit Vasavada [334 runs at 47.71], Harvik Desai [491 runs at 40.91] and Chirag Jani [84], who scored half-centuries in the last game will once again be the key to the home sides’ fortunes with the bat. Prerak Mankad [16 wickets] and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja [20 wickets] will lead the bowling attack in case Jaydev Unadkat [45 wickets] does not feature.

Tamil Nadu: Abhinav Mukund scored a double-hundred in the last game while Laxmesha Suryaprakash chipped-in with 75. The duo will once again lead the batting unit along with the likes of Dinesh Karthik [244 runs at 48.8] and Baba Aparajith [272 runs at 30.2]. M Mohammed claimed nine wickets in the last game while Krishnamoorthy Vignesh claimed a five-for in the second innings. These players can be picked in your Dream11 Fantasy team.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – Abhinav Mukund, Harvik Desai, Sheldon Jackson

Vice-Captain – M Mohammed, Arpit Vasavada, Baba Aparajith

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Sheldon Jackson (C), Snell Patel, Dinesh Karthik

Batsmen –  Arpit Vasavada, Harvik Desai, Abhinav Mukund (VC), Laxmesha Suryaprakash

All-Rounders- Dharmendrasinh Jadeja

Bowlers-  Chirag Jani, M Mohammed, R Sai Kishore

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Sheldon Jackson, Snell Patel

Batsmen –  Kaushik Gandhi, Arpit Vasavada, Harvik Desai (C), Abhinav Mukund

All-Rounders- Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (VC), Prerak Mankad

Bowlers-  Jaydev Unadkat, Krishnamoorthy Vignesh, R Sai Kishore

Expert Advice

The pitch in Saurashtra has always been a graveyard for the bowlers. Hence picking batsman like Abhinav Mukund, who scored a double-hundred in the last game, Harvik Desai or Arpit Vasavada, and slotting them as captain/vice-captain could be worth a punt.

Probable Winners:

Saurashtra is expected to come out as the winners.

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.