Hyderabad vs Gujarat
Preview:
In the first round of the new Ranji Trophy season, Hyderabad will host Gujarat in their opening encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Monday. Amidst all the controversies surrounding the Hyderabad cricket, the hosts would aim to kickstart their campaign on a high against the 2016/17 Ranji Trophy champions. On the other hand, Gujarat would want to take advantage of a depleted opposition and aim an away victory at the start of their campaign.
Fantasy XI:
Tanmay Agarwal, Priyank Panchal (C), Akshath Reddy (VC), Rohit Rayudu, Manprit Juneja, Dhruv Raval, Axar Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Piyush Chawla, C Gaja, Mehdi Hasan
Fantasy tips:
P Panchal is an obvious choice to captain this team given the kind of form he has exhibited in the last few years for Gujarat. Akshath Reddy, who was the leading run-scorer for Hyderabad last season, is a good bet as a vice-captain. Hyderabad is usually a batsman’s paradise and hence one can expect loads of runs on offer in the clash between the two teams. The bowlers will have to toil hard to get into the wicket’s column.
Key Players:
Hyderabad: Akshath Reddy, Tanmay Agarwal, Mohammad Siraj
Gujarat: Priyank Panchal, Axar Patel, Roosh Kalaria
Kerala vs Delhi
Preview:
The last year semi-finalists host Delhi in their maiden clash this winter in the red-ball format. Riding on the success of their last year campaign, Kerala will hope to start on a winning note. However, after a disappointing end to their woes in Ranji Trophy 2018/19, Delhi would want to start afresh and make amends from their season last year. However, it will be challenging for the boys from the capital to beat Kerala in their own backyard.
Fantasy XI:
Dhruv Shorey, Nitish Rana (C), Jonty Sidhu, Vishnu Vinod (WK), Robin Uthappa, Sachin Baby, Navdeep Saini, KM Asif, Basil Thampi, Jalaj Saxena (VC), Lalit Yadav
Fantasy Tips:
Nitish Rana, the prolific all-rounder from Delhi is a great option to captain the team in Fantasy cricket. On the other hand, Jalaj Saxena, the spinner all-rounder is one of the key players for Kerala and thus will be the deputy captain in this Fantasy XI.
Key Players:
Kerala: Sachin Baby, Jalaja Saxena, Basil Thampi
Delhi: Nitish Rana, Navdeep Saini, Dhruv Shorey
Rajasthan vs Punjab
Preview:
Rajasthan will host Punjab for their first match this season. Led by their highest run-scorer last season, the hosts will have a daunting task in hand facing an in-form Punjab line-up in their opening encounter. On the other hand, Punjab will be buoyed by the form of some of their key players who are constantly knocking the doors of Indian cricket in Test cricket. The tourists will eye six points on offer to begin their season with a bang. However, they will be cautious of the Rajasthan’s bowling featuring some of India internationals in
their ranks.
Fantasy XI:
Shubman Gill (C), Anmolpreet Singh, Robin Bist, Rajesh Bishnoi, Mandeep Singh, Mahipal Lomror, Chetan Bist (WK), Tanveer ul Haq, Siddharth Kaul, Mayank Markande, Khaleel Ahmed (VC)
Fantasy tips:
Shubman Gill is the most likely option to lead a Fantasy XI in most matches featuring Punjab. The youngster is one of the most prolific run-scorer in the Indian domestic circuit. Khaleel Ahmed can be a surprise choice for the vice-captain but he would eager to prove a point with his performances. Playing at Sawai Man Singh stadium, the surface generally offers good bounce but is equally good for stroke play. Batters might enjoy their time but the quality of bowlers on both sides might also have a say in the contest.
Key Players:
Rajasthan: Robin Bist, Khaleel Ahmed, Ashok Menaria
Punjab: Shubman Gill, Siddarth Kaul, Mandeep Singh
Andhra vs Vidarbha
Preview:
It will be a contest between the two-time defending champions who face Hanuma Vihari and his boys at Vijaywada. It won’t be wrong to say that Vidarbha start as overwhelming favorites and Andhra will aim to punch above their weight in a tough opening encounter in their campaign. However, a win here for the hosts might set the tone for an unprecedented team for the team.
Fantasy XI:
Faiz Fazal, Wasim Jaffer (C), Ricky Bhui, Hanuma Vihari (VC), Ganesh Satish, Srikar Bharat, Akshay Karnewar, Aditya Sarwate, Akhshay Wakhare, Yarra Prithviraj,
Fantasy tips:
Wasim Jaffer, the vital cog in the wheel for Vidarbha will lead the fantasy XI while Hanuma Vihari, a regular in India’s Test setup will play as his deputy in the team.
Key Players:
Andhra: Hanuma Vihari, Ricky Bhui, Srikar Bharat
Vidarbha: Wasim Jaffer, Akshay Wakhare, Faiz Fazal
Himachal vs Saurashtra
Fantasy XI:
Cheteshwar Pujara (C), Prashant Chopra (WK), Nikhil Gangta, Sheldon Jackson, Harvik Desai (VC), Chirag Jani, Rishi Dhawan, Mayank Dagar, Pankaj Jaiswal, Jaydev Unadkat, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja
Fantasy Tips:
C Pujara will undoubtedly lead the fantasy XI with an opportunity to score runs against an inexperienced attack. Harvik Desai, the highest run-scorer for Saurashtra last year, will be the vice-captain.
Key Players:
Himachal: Rishi Dhawan, Prashant Chopra, Mayank Dagar
Saurashtra: C Pujara, J Unadkat, Harvik Desai
Tamil Nadu vs Karnataka
Preview:
The high-octane clash and a southern derby at the start of the season will see Tamil Nadu lock horns against Karnataka in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final rematch. It will be an opportunity for the hosts to avenge their loss against Karnataka in the two white-ball finals earlier this year. Similarly, the visitors would want to continue their merry run of wins over Tamil Nadu to kickstart their campaign on a high.
Fantasy XI:
Devdutt Paddikal, Abhinav Mukund, Mayank Agarwal (C), Karun Nair, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Vijay Shankar (VC), R Ashwin, Ronit More, Shreyas Gopal, Sai Kishore, T Natarajan
Fantasy tips:
Mayank Agarwal, who will be a part of the first round for his state team before leaving for New Zealand as an India opener, is an outright choice to lead the side. Shankar, the consistent performer for TN will be a decent choice as the vice-captain of this fantasy cricket XI.
Key Players:
TN: D Karthik, Vijay Shankar, R Ashwin
Karnataka: M Agarwal, D Paddikal, K Nair
Uttar Pradesh vs Railways
Fantasy XI:
Priyam Garg (C), Karan Sharma, Mohammad Saif, Pratham Singh, Rinku Singh, Akshdeep Nath (VC), Aryan Juyal (WK), Saurabh Kumar, Ankit Rajpoot, Avinash Yadav, Shivam Mavi
Fantasy tips:
Priyam Garg will lead the side along with Akshdeep Nath as his deputy. Garg is one of India’s star for the future and is also leading the India U- 19 squad in the upcoming World Cup.
Key Players:
Uttar Pradesh: Priyam Garg, Rinku Singh, Ankit Rajpoot
Railways: Karan Sharma, Pratham Singh, Avinash Yadav
Baroda vs Mumbai
Preview:
A western derby will see the 41-time Ranji champion face-off Baroda in their opening encounter in Vadodara. Led by Krunal Pandya, Baroda will fancy their chances to give a tough fight to Mumbai in their away encounter. However, the visitors will be buoyed by the presence of Ajinkya Rahane for the
first round of matches and will want to take the maximum advantage of his
presence.
Fantasy XI: Prithvi Shaw (VC), Surya Kumar Yadav, Dhruv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Deepak Hooda, Swapnil Singh, Krunal Pandya, Aditya Tare (WK), Dhawal Kulkarni, Shardul Thakur, Bhargav Bhatt
Fantasy tips: Ajinkya Rahane is an apt choice to lead this fantasy XI along with Prithvi Shaw, who’s making a comeback to the red-ball cricket, to be the vice-captain of the team.
Key Players:
Baroda: Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh
Mumbai: Prithvi Shaw, Surya Kumar Yadav, Ajinkya Rahane
Chhattisgarh vs Odisha
Fantasy XI: Harpreet Singh (C), Jiwanjot Singh, Shashank Singh, Biplab Samantray, Basant Mohanty (VC), Manoj Singh (WK), Shubham Agarwal, Abhishek Raut, Rajesh Mohanty, Veer Pratap Singh, Pappu Roy
Key Players:
Chhattisgarh: Harpreet Singh, Jiwanjot Singh, Shubham Agarwal
Odisha: Rajesh Mohanty, Veer Pratap Singh, Pappu Roy
Haryana vs Maharashtra:
Fantasy XI:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Ankit Bawne (C), Rahul Tripathi, Himanshu Rana, Swapnil Gugale, Nitin Saini (WK), Jayant Yadav, Harshal Patel (VC), Mohit Sharma, Amit Mishra
Fantasy Tips:
Ankit Bawne is the most suitable option to lead a team in fantasy cricket XI. The hard-hitting all-rounder for Haryana, and their skipper for this season, H Patel can contribute both with bat and ball, and is next best player in the team to be nominated as the vice-captain.
Key Players:
Haryana: H Rana, Harshal Patel, Chaitanya Bishnoi
Maharashtra: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ankit Bawne, Rahul Tripathi
Uttarakhand vs Jammu & Kashmir
Fantasy XI:
Unmukt Chand (C), Tanmay Srivastava, Abdul Samad, Avneesh Sudha, Saurabh Rawat (WK), Waseem Raza, Parvez Rasool (VC), Sunny Rana, Mayank Mishra, Rahil Shah, Muhammad Mudhasir
Key Players:
Uttarakhand: Unmukt Chand, Tanmay Srivastava, Sunny Rana
J&K: Parvez Rasool, Waseem Raza, Abdul Samad
Assam vs Services
Fantasy XI: Sibsankar Roy, Rahul Hazarika, Ravi Chauhan, Shamsher Yadav, Riyan Prayag (C), Gokul Sharma, Kunal Saikia (WK), Rajat Paliwal, Pulkit Narang (VC), Roshan Alam, Arun Bamal
Key Players:
Assam: Riyan Prayag, Gokul Sharma, Roshan Alam
Services: Ravi Chauhan, Pulkit Narang, Rajat Paliwal
Tripura vs Jharkhand
Fantasy XI:
Virat Singh (VC), Ishank Jaggi, Kumar Deobrat, Milind Kumar (C), Saurabh Tiwary, Joydeep Banik, Nirupam Sen (WK), Rahul Shukla, Anukul Roy, Harmeet Singh, Pratyush Singh
Key Players:
Tripura: Milind Kumar, Pratyush Singh, Harmeet Singh
Jharkhand: Virat Singh, Ishank Jaggi, Kumar Deobrat
Bihar vs Puducherry
Fantasy XI: Paras Dogra, Ashutosh Aman, Arun Karthik (VC), Damodaren Rohit, Vinay Kumar (C), Sarfraz Ashraf, Shashi Shekhar (WK), Samar Quadri, Santha Moorthy, Suresh Kumar, Sagar Udeshi
Key Players:
Bihar: Ashutosh Aman, Samar Quadri, Shashi Shekhar
Puducherry: Vinay Kumar, Arun Karthik, Suresh Kumar
Chandigarh vs Arunachal Pradesh
Fantasy XI:
Manan Vohra (C), Ankit Kaushik, Rahul Dalal, Gurinder Singh, Samarth Seth, Uday Kaul (WK), Akhilesh Sahani, Raman Bishnoi, Bipul Sharma (VC), Jaskaran Singh, Song Tacho
Key Players:
Chandigarh: Manan Vohra, Uday Kaul, Bipul Sharma
Arunachal Pradesh: Rahul Dalal, Samarth Seth, Song Tacho
Goa vs Sikkim
Fantasy XI: Bijay Subba, Ashish Thapa, Amit Verma, Aditya Kaushik, Prathmesh Gawas, Yashpal Singh, Smit Patel (WK), Iqbal Abdulla (C), Plazor Tamang, Ishwar Chaudhary (VC), Amulya Pandrekar
Key Players:
Goa: Amit Verma, Lakshya Garg, Amulya Pandrekar
Sikkim: Iqbal Abdulla, Ishwar Chaudhary, Bijay Subba
Manipur vs Mizoram
Fantasy XI:
Taruwar Kohli (C), Lalruhai Ralte, KB Pawan (WK), K Vanlalruata, Rex Singh, Kangabam Singh, Gelson Singh, Sultan Karim, Homendro Meitei, Thokchom Santosh, Parvez Ahmed
Key Players:
Manipur: Rex Singh, Kangabam Singh, Gelson Singh Mizoram: Taruwar Kohli (C), Lalruhai Ralte, Parvez Ahmed
Nagaland vs Meghalaya:
Fantasy XI:
Dwaraka Ravi Teja, Puneet Bisht (C & WK), Abhay Negi, Akash Chaudhary, Stuart Binny (VC), Shrikant Mundhe, Yogesh Takawale, Amiangshu Sen, Raj Biswa, Rongsen Jonathan, Laxman Chettri
Key Players:
Nagaland: Stuart Binny (VC), Shrikant Mundhe, Yogesh Takawale Meghalaya: Dwaraka Ravi Teja, Puneet Bisht, Laxman Chettri
