The 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) season heads into match 37 with Delhi Capitals set to host Kings XI Punjab in the second game of Saturday’s double-header.
As fans, watching the action is not the only thing to look forward to – IPL fantasy games mean you have the opportunity to get involved as well.
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 focus on helping you navigate your way through the former.
BATSMAN
Chris Gayle – Kings XI Punjab (10.5 credits)
One of the major reasons for Kings XI’s encouraging campaign so far has been the form of West Indies veteran Chris Gayle who is on course to better his 2018 tally of 368 runs by some distance.
The explosive Jamaican has already mustered 352 runs in the ongoing campaign at an average greater than 50 along with an impressive strike-rate of 155.
192 of those runs have come in Gayle’s three most recent outings and it is clear to see that the left-hander is a man in form.
26 sixes have already flowed from the opener’s blade this season and expect a few more of them to come at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.
Most Man of the Match awards in IPL
— JSK (@imjsk27) April 13, 2019
21 - Chris Gayle
19 - AB de Villiers
16 - Rohit Sharma
16 - Yusuf Pathan
16 - MS Dhoni
15 - David Warner#KXIPvRCB
BOWLER
Kagiso Rabada – Delhi Capitals (9.5 credits)
No matter what the circumstances and conditions on offer, Kagiso Rabada has managed to conjure up wickets with a remarkable rate of consistency in what is turning out to be the best-ever IPL campaign for the South African.
The young pacer has been outstanding in both the powerplays and in the death overs for Delhi this season with his bowling making the difference on several occasions.
Rabada was slightly expensive in his last outing but still managed to pick up two wickets which have taken his season tally to 19 in nine matches.
The runaway leading wicket-taker of the 2019 edition is picking up a wicket every 14 deliveries with his current strike-rate and that alone is enough reason to pick up in the Fantasy line up.
ALL-ROUNDER
Ravichandran Ashwin – Kings XI Punjab (9 credits)
While he might not have made many fans with his ‘Mankad’ dismissal of Jos Buttler, there is no denying that Ravi Ashwin has left no stone unturned in his quest to take KXIP to the play-offs after the disappointment of the 2018 edition.
The Punjab skipper has been excellent both tactically and individually where he has chipped in with some vital contributions with both ball and bat.
The off-spinner has got limited opportunities with the bat but he has made it count big time with a strike-rate of 250.
With the ball, Ashwin has made full use of his enormous IPL experience and has contributed with 11 wickets which have come at a decent economy-rate of 7.44.
The pitch at Delhi has played slow all season and Ashwin can expect some decent purchase on the surface.
#KXIP skipper #Ashwin continues his fine run in #IPL2019, powering his team to their fifth win against #Rajasthan and into the top 4⃣ #KXIPvRRhttps://t.co/a5SLutBq03
— Sport360° (@Sport360) April 16, 2019
WICKETKEEPER
KL Rahul – Kings XI Punjab (10.5 credits)
While both KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are excellent candidates for the wicketkeeping gloves, our nod goes to the man who made the cut for India’s 2019 World Cup squad.
Rahul’s World Cup call up is no surprise with the form the KXIP opener has shown in the ongoing IPL campaign. A prolific return of a ton and four half-centuries already in nine innings is nothing short of sensational with the right-hander on course to match his 2018 displays.
There has been a notable increase in the maturity in Rahul’s batting this season and the KXIP man has managed to adapt himself well to different situations.
Averaging nearly 65 with the bat, Rahul is an automatic pick for the wicketkeeper’s slot even though it is likely that Nicholas Pooran could take the gloves on Saturday.
CAPTAIN – KL Rahul
VICE CAPTAIN – Kagiso Rabada
