IPL 2019 Fantasy: Gayle among top picks for Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab

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  • Chris Gayle. Image credit - @IPL/Twitter.

    The 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) season heads into day five with two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders set to play host to Kings XI Punjab on Wednesday.

    As the IPL’s official partner, Dream11 runs a Daily Contest for each game apart from the default format which is conducted per round.

    Here, we help you navigate your way through the former.

    Here are our top options in each category for this encounter in Kolkata.

    BATSMAN

    Chris Gayle – Kings XI Punjab (10 credits)

    Recommending the Windies veteran after his swashbuckling innings against Rajasthan Royals is easy choice. Moreover, Gayle has a habit of going on a run of high scores.

    The explosive left-hander is hard to stop once he finds form as shown by his last IPL season with KXIP as well in West Indies’ recent ODI series against England. When one big Gayle innings comes, expect another one . After his 48-ball 79 at Jaipur, it would be a no-brainer to retain the might Jamaican for the top batsman’s pick.

    BOWLER

    Kuldeep Yadav – Kolkata Knight Riders (9)

    The India wrist-spinner went wicketless in the win over Sunrisers Hyderabad and was removed from the bowling attack after two expensive overs.

    Still, he is our pick for the bowler’s slot because Kuldeep does not stay subdued for long, especially at the Eden Gardens. The left-armer picked up 17 wickets for the Knight Riders last season and gave Dinesh Karthik’s men the breakthrough when they desperately needed it on many occasions.

    Expect him to come back hard at Eden Gardens against Punjab.

    ALL-ROUNDER

    Andre Russell – Kolkata Knight Riders (9.5)

    When it comes to the all-rounder’s slot, there is one clear favourite given there are doubts over the fitness of Sunil Narine.

    With Narine doubtful, his Windies compatriot and Kolkata team-mate Andre Russell is a shoe-in for our all-round pick. Russell was magnificent with both bat and ball in the win over Hyderabad, with his 19-ball 49 stealing victory for Kolkata from the jaws of defeat.

    WICKETKEEPER

    Dinesh Karthik – Kolkata Knight Riders (9.5)

    He did not have the best of displays against Hyderabad but Karthik gets the nod over KL Rahul in this case simply because there are doubts whether the latter will take the gloves.

    It was Nicholas Pooran who kept wickets for Punjab in their win over Rajasthan and there is every chance he will do it again. Karthik has been a proven IPL performer for Kolkata over the years and expect his experience to show sooner rather than later.

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