Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20: Round 5, Elite Group B, Baroda vs Punjab - Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The Round 5 match in the Elite Group B of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20 will be played between Punjab and Baroda at the Darshanam Sports and Education Academy Cricket Ground in Vadodara.

The match starts at 9:00 AM local time (IST) (3:30 AM GMT).

Preview:

Rain, rain and more rain! This has been the story of the 2019-20 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and no teams have been more affected than the ones in contention tomorrow: Punjab and Baroda. All three fixtures of both sides- Punjab and Baroda- have been washed out due to inclement weather and subsequent wet-outfield. Punjab’s batting will once again revolve around Shubman Gill, Anmolpreet Singh, skipper Mandeep Singh, and Gurkeerat Singh Mann while the bowling unit will revolve around Siddarth Kaul and Mayank Markande.

Baroda, on the other hand, will also hope that the rain stays and they get a full opportunity to register their first win of the tournament after a series of washouts. Kedar Devdhar, Yusuf Pathan, Deepak Hooda, and Krunal Pandya were the cornerstone of their batting last year and once again will be expected to spearhead the unit.

Weather Condition/Report:

Rain. Inclement Weather. Wet-outfield. Abandonment. Unfortunately, this has been the norm in all the games scheduled at Vadodara this season. And, things aren’t looking pretty for Sunday, either. According to the weather report, there is a 100 percent chance of thunderstorms on match day. The humidity is expected to be around 87 percent while the temperatures will hover around 25-28 degrees.

Pitch Condition/Report:

Considering the amount of rain that Vadodara has taken in the past weeks if at all game starts on Sunday, it could boast of a lot of moisture which could come in handy for the fast bowlers.

Average first innings score: N/A

Record of chasing teams: N/A

Injury and Availability News:

(Will be shared when there’s an update)

Probable Playing XIs:

Punjab:

Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Anmolpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh (C), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Sharad Lumba, Anmol Malhotra (WK), Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Mayank Markande, Karan Kaila.

Bench: Prabhsimran Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Akul Partap, Baltej Singh.

Baroda:

Kedar Devdhar, Mitesh Patel (wk), Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, Krunal Pandya (c), Vishnu Solanki, Swapnil Singh, Rishi Arothe, Lukman Meriwala, Sukrit Pandey and Abhimanyu Rajput

Bench: Soyeb Soparia, Babashafi Pathan, Ninad Rathva, Aditya Waghmode

Top Picks:

Punjab: Anmolpreet Singh played just three games last season in which he scored two centuries to rack up 314 runs at an average of 104.66. He will once again be the spearhead of the Punjab batting unit alongside the likes of Gill (who leaves for India duty shortly) and Gurkeerat Singh Mann (268 runs at 89.33). Mayank Markande and Siddarth Kaul claimed 13 and 12 wickets last season. They will once again be the key to Punjab’s fortunes.

Baroda: Kedar Devdhar (401 runs at 57.28), Deepak Hooda (270 runs at 54.00) and Yusuf Pathan (175 runs at 58.33) will once again be the trio around which Baroda’s batting will revolve. Krunal Pandya, who scored 274 runs at 45.66 and claimed 11 wickets at 17.54 could be the X-Factor, Baroda need.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – Anmolpreet Singh, Krunal Pandya, Kedar Devdhar

Vice-Captain – Deepak Hooda, Abhishek Sharma, Yusuf Pathan

Suggested Playing XI for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper – Anmol Malhotra

Batsmen – Anmolpreet Singh [vc], Mandeep Singh, Kedar Devdhar, Yusuf Pathan, Vishnu Solanki

All-Rounders – Abhishek Sharma, Krunal Pandya [c]

Bowlers – Siddharth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Lukman Meriwala

Suggested Playing XI for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – Mitesh Patel

Batsmen – Shubman Gill, Kedar Devdhar [vc], Sharad Lumba, Anmolpreet Singh [c], Manpreet Singh

All-Rounders – Deepak Hooda, Gurkeerat Singh Mann

Bowlers – Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Lukman Meriwala

Expert Advice:

With the chances of almost 100 percent rain, we may see a curtailed encounter; if any. Hence picking more top-order batters will be a crucial punt.

Probable Winners:

It’s going to be a close encounter; if rain permits obviously! But the fact that Punjab boasts of a more well-rounded team than Baroda, we pick them as starting favourites.

*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.