Theekshana Boost for Sri Lanka as they Prepare for Pakistani threat in Hyderabad

Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad - ICC Men's CWC 2023; Match Preview

Pakistan began their CWC 2023 campaign with a comfortable victory against the Dutch at the same venue while Sri Lanka suffered a huge loss against South Africa although they did give the chase of 429 a fair fight till the end.

Pakistani batting looked in superb touch in the warm ups but the top order was woefully exposed in their opening match against the Dutch. Fakhar and Imam were both disposed of early along with the mercurial Babar Azam. It was the youngster Saud Shakeel along with Rizwan who steadied the ship and with late cameos from Nawaz and Shadab helped Pakistan to a decent total. How long will Pakistan stick with Fakhar Zaman remains to be seen. Iftikhar also remains a threat in that middle order.

Bowling remains the stronger suit of Pakistan even with Naseem out. Shaheen Shah and Hasan Ali remain a potent threat with the new ball while the pace of Rauf becomes a crucial factor in the middle and closing overs. Shadab is still struggling for rhythm and he went for runs even against the Netherlands. The 20 overs of spin remains their weak link.

Sri Lankan batting which was torn apart by Siraj and Bumrah in the Asia Cup Final came roaring back against the Proteas in the opening game in Delhi. Kusal Mendis lit up the night with his clean hitting while Asalanka and Shanaka also contributed quick runs. The form of Pathum Nissanka at the top of the order remains a small worry while Sri Lanka will also want Kusal Perera to provide a breezy start like he did in the Asia Cup taking Shaheen Shah Afridi on. Dananjaya de Silva seems a misfit at number 6 but Sri Lanka are expected to stick to him for the time being.

Sri Lankan bowling suffered at the hands of Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram with all of them smashing 100's but the return of Theekshana will give the Lankan bowling much needed lift. I hope Kasun Rajitha will make way for him. Pathirana might also be replaced with Lahiru Kumara after being very expensive in the opening game. He was also erratic with his line and length. Wellalage, even though he went for runs, looked the best bowler in Delhi so should keep his place.

Key Battles: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka

Babar Azam Vs Dunith Wellalage

Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis Vs Shaheen Shah Afridi

Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka Vs Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan

Mohammad Rizwan Vs Maheesh Theekshana

The two teams were involved in a last ball thriller in the Asia Cup where Asalanka took the Lankans over the line. Sri Lanka has never beaten Pakistan in an ODI World Cup game till date so that's one record that the Men in Blue will be looking to change.

Probable Pakistan XI

Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali

Probable Sri Lanka XI

Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madhushanka, Lahiru Kumara

Top 5 Fantasy Picks for Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

Babar Azam

Kusal Mendis

Haris Rauf

Maheesh Theekshana

Charith Asalanka

The match will start at 02.00 PM IST (streamed live on Disney plus Hotstar app & on TV on Star Sports 1)

Looking for differential players for season long Dream11 contest? Click Here.

Who do you think will come out on top in this clash of the Asian Giants?

Dream 11 ICC Official Season Long CWC 2023 Fantasy Game - Differential Players for ENGvBAN, PAKvSL & INDvAFG

We have already seen some Tips & Tricks & Differential players for the previous matches of the Official Season Long T20 World Cup 2022 Fantasy Game powered by Dream 11. In the previous posts we have seen about Overview on Playing the Season Long Game & also all about the boosters being provided and how & when to use them.

In this post, I will list out Top 11 Differential (less then 10% owned) players for matches covering:

England v Bangladesh, October 10, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, October 10, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

India v Afghanistan, October 11, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

Kusal Mendis 7.00%

• Nailed to start
• Looks to be in scintillating nick, bats in Top 3

Shreyas Iyer 3.50%

• Nailed in Top 4 for India
• Faces Afghanistan in Delhi which is a high scoring ground

Najmul Hossain Shanto 4.20%

• In good form
• Nailed number 3/4

Saud Shakeel 1.80%

• Looks to be in great form
• Played at a good Strike Rate

Moeen Ali 5.74%

• Dharamsala pitch aided spin in last match
• Proper all rounder

Liam Livingstone 5.75%

• Bowls a few overs & finisher for England
• Nailed to start

Mehidy Hasan Miraz 9.5%

• In great form
• Bowls all 10 and bats in top 3/4

Ravindra Jadeja 6.89%

• In great form
• Nailed
• Very reliable

Maheesh Theekshana 1.10%

• Coming back from injury
• Bowls in PP & at the death

Mohammad Siraj 8.80%

• Nailed to start
• In the form of his life

Taskin Ahmed 2.30%

• Bowls at the death and is in decent form
• Dharamsala generally helps pacers

These were some of the hidden gems I think could do well for matches listed above.

For an overview on how to play the game, click here.

Do let me know what players you're looking at?

Gill in Doubt as India prepares for Stern Australia Test in CWC 2023 Opening Match

India vs Australia at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai: Nov 08, 2023 - Match Preview

India will face a strong Aussie side as both teams begin their ICC Men's CWC 2023 campaign. India is sweating over the availability of Shubhman Gill who is down with dengue. India defeated Australia 2-1 just before the World Cup warm up matches began in a series played in India although both teams rested and tested new combinations as part of their preparations for the big event.

Indian batting has been in cracking form and they are a force to reckon with especially in home conditions. If Gill is unavailable, India might open the innings with Ishan Kishan. Rohit Sharma will accompany him. Virat Kohli at 3 and Shreyas Iyer at 4 provide plenty of firepower in the middle overs. KL Rahul should slot in at number 5. SKY might keep his place after a stellar showing in the Australia series. Pandya and Jadeja complete the lower order although they've both been very cold with the bat and a major worry for India.

Indian bowling has been looking sharp with Bumrah back and Siraj hitting the straps with the new ball. Kuldeep is a master of variations and won't be easy to handle in the middle overs. Hardik Pandya provides reasonable option as the third seamer. Jadeja provides the left arm option. India might look to include veteran R Ashwin in the line up too.

David Warner has found form which would delight the Australian management and he will remain a key force in this Aussie batting line-up. Travis Head opened in the South Africa series but was then out with injury and Mitchell Marsh was slotted in to open the innings. It remains to be seen who Australia will go in with, in their opening match. Smith and Labuschagne should come in at 3 and 4 respectively. Australia have lots of options that can float around 5-6-7 with Green, Carey, Inglis, Maxwell all in the squad.

Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins form a formidable pace attack for the 5 time champions. Zampa is their main spin option with Maxwell providing ample backup. Green, Marsh, Labuschagne can all roll their arm over as well. It's a very well rounded attack all in all.

Key Battles: India vs Australia

Mitchell Starc vs Rohit Sharma and Shubhman Gill

Adam Zampa vs Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer

R Ashwin vs David Warner

Kuldeep Yadav vs Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne 

This promises to be a mouth watering clash between the two heavyweights in this format. The pitch in Chennai should be full of runs if IPL is anything to go by but it should help pace and spin too. The weather looks clear too so we are all set for the Men in Blue to take on the Kangaroos!!

Probable India XI

Rohit Sharma, Shubhman Gill/ Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaspreet Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj

Probable Australia XI

David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Top 5 Fantasy Picks for India v Australia at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

David Warner

Shreyas Iyer

Adam Zampa

Kuldeep Yadav

Mitchell Marsh

The match will start at 02.00 PM IST (streamed live on Disney Hotstar app & on TV on Star Sports 1)

Who will come out on top in this clash? Will India get off to a winning start or will Australia dampen the mood of the host nation?

Sri Lanka and South Africa Clash at Kotla to get their CWC 2023 Campaign Underway

Sri Lanka Vs South Africa, Kotla, New Delhi - ICC Men's CWC 2023; Match Preview

Sri Lanka only made the ICC Men's CWC 2023 after winning a gruelling Qualifier Tournament. They also reached the final of the recently concluded Asia Cup but were battered by India in the finals. South Africa are coming off a come from behind 3-2 series win against the Aussies.

Sri Lankan batting has left a lot to be desired recently beginning from their abject collapse in the Asia Cup final. They will hope dashing opener Kusal Perera is fit to start else Dimuth might open who is a waste of space in this format. Nissanka needs to carry on and play a long innings. Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka shore up the middle order and have all been in good form recently. Dasun Shanaka needs to step up with the bat after a string of low scores recently.

The bowling too has had its ups and downs with the injuries not helping either. Hasaranga and Chameera are out and Theekshana has just joined the team after coming back from injury. Two out of Kumara/ Pathirana/ Madhushanka will probably start along with the young sensation Wellalage. Dasun, Dananjaya and Asalanka need to chip in with the ball as well.

The Proteas batting has looked very good with QDK and Bavuma making big runs against Australia while Markram, Klassen and Miller scored heavily in the series as well. Van der Dussen is likely to slot in at number 3. 

The Protea bowling line up like a little thin, at least on paper. Rabada and Ngidi should start along with the tall left arm pacer Marco Jensen. Maharaj and Shamsi should be their spin options with Markram more than capable to chip in with the ball as well.

Key Battles: Sri Lanka vs South Africa

Kusal Perera and Pathum Nissanka Vs Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi

Temba Bavuma Vs Dilshan Madhushanka

Heinrich Klassen and Aiden Markram Vs Dunith Wellalage

With each game likely to be very important in order to secure a semi final spot, this match already becomes very important for both South Africa and Sri Lanka. A slip up here and tougher tests in England, Australia, India await. Both teams will want to start with a win to ease into the long tournament.

Probable Sri Lanka XI

Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha/ Dilshan Madhushanka, Lahiru Kumara

Probable South Africa XI

Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klassen, David Miller, Marco Jensen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamshi

Top 5 Fantasy Picks for Sri Lanka v South Africa at Kotla, New Delhi

Kusal Mendis

Quinton de Kock

Charith Asalanka

Dunith Wellalage

Marco Jensen

The match will start at 02.00 PM IST (streamed live on Disney Hotstar app & on TV on Star Sports 1)

Who will come out on top in this mouth watering clash?

Pakistan set to open their ODI CWC 2023 campaign against the plucky Dutch

Pakistan Vs Netherlands, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad - ICC Men's CWC 2023; Match Preview

Pakistan begin their CWC 2023 campaign against the Men in Orange who lost to Sri Lanka in the CWC Qualifiers tournament final. They defeated West Indies in the super over which saw the former World Champions not even qualify for the main event this time.

Pakistan batting looks to be in ominous form if the warm up matches are to be considered. They have posted scores in excess of 330 in both the games. The openers have been out of form but Babar, Rizwan, Iftikhar, Nawaz and even the likes of Shakeel and Salman have been in imperious touch. Fakhar, Imam and Shafique have liked out of sorts though.

The Dutch batting rests on their opening pair of Vikramjit Singh and Max O'Dowd. Both are essential to their system. Barresi and De Leede shore up the middle order while skipper Scott Edwards provides the finishing touches. Edwards, especially is very good with spin, so look out for him in this World Cup. Teja Nidamanuru might also slot in for them!

Pakistani bowling, surprisingly has looked out of sorts since the recent Asia Cup and with Naseem out it wears a further depleted look. Rauf isn't picking enough wickets and Shadab isn't giving control in the middle overs. Shaheen too looks off after the opening spell. The opening match against a relatively weak Dutch team gives Pakistan time to sort their bowling woes.

Dutch bowling relies heavily on Van Beek and Van Meekeran along with De Leede. Aryan Dutt, Vikramjit Singh and the veteran Van Der Merwe provide spin options.

Key Battles: Pakistan vs Netherlands

Babar Azam Vs Roelof Van der Merwe

Vikramjit Singh and Max O'Dowd Vs Shaheen Shah Afridi

Bas de Leede Vs Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan

Pakistan have been widely tipped as one of the possible semi finalists of the CWC 2023 but they remain a highly volatile team. They were defeated by Zimbabwe in the last WT20 and the Dutch defeated South Africa in that same tournament. Netherlands have nothing to loose and they will always believe that they can take any team down on their day.

Probable Pakistan XI

Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel/ Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Wasim/ Hasan Ali

Probable Netherlands XI

Vikramjit Singh, Max O'Dowd, Wesley Barresi, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards, Logan van Beek, Paul van Meekaran, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt

Top 5 Fantasy Picks for Pakistan v Netherlands at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

Babar Azam

Mohammad Rizwan

Haris Rauf

Shadab Khan

Shaheen Shah Afridi

The match will start at 02.00 PM IST (streamed live on Disney plus Hotstar app & on TV on Star Sports 1)

Can Pakistan start on a winning note? Can Netherlands cause an upset?

Defending Champions England take on New Zealand in the ICC Men's CWC 2023 Opener at Ahmedabad!

England vs New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad: Oct 05, 2023 - Match Preview

It's finally here, after 4 long years of wait, the ICC Men's CWC 2023 gets underway at Ahmedabad with defending champions England taking on the losing finalist New Zealand, from the last World Cup final. What a final that was! English won the ODI series these two teams played last month 3-1 although both teams experimented quite a lot with their combination for the preparation for the World Cup.

Kiwi batting has a strong look about them which was well on display in the two warm up games where they breached 300 with ease on both occasions. Will Young and Devon Conway are the most likely openers who like to take their time to settle in and play a long innings. Kane Williamson will miss this game so Latham should slot in at 3. Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips provide enough flair and power in the middle overs with both very good players of spin as well.

New Zealand has one of the most well rounded bowling attacks even without Tim Southee who will miss the game for to injury. Boult and Henry can both move the ball early and will be a handful even in Indian conditions. Lockie Ferguson provides raw pace while Santner and Sodhi give finger and wrist spin options for the middle over squeeze. Then there's Neesham and Mitchell who can roll the arm over if required. Ravindra can play in place of Neesham depending on the pitch.

English batting looks ominous on paper with Bairstow and an in-form Malan set to open the innings. Root provides the stability at number 3. If Stokes misses out of the opening game (he has a niggle in his hip, his availability will be confirmed on match day), Harry Brook is likely to replace him. Skipper Buttler and the dashing Livingstone will provide explosive finishing touches to the innings. They still have Moeen Ali and Sam Curran if the above batsmen give them a chance!

The bowling unit of English has been functioning like a well oiled machine. Wood and Woakes have provided the pace while Curran looks like an upgraded version of himself nailing yorkers at death. Rashid and Livingstone have been performing the spin duties relatively well.

Key Battles: England vs New Zealand

Mark Wood vs Devon Conway

Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone vs Ish Sodhi

Adil Rashid vs Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips

Jonny Bairstow vs Trent Boult

Ahmedabad generally provides very good batting pitches and that will most likely continue in the ICC Men's CWC 2023. There might be movement under lights which might suit Boult in particular if the Kiwis bowl second.

Probable England XI

Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Probable New Zealand XI

Devon Conway, Will Young, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham/ Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson

Top 5 Fantasy Picks for England v New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad

Dawid Malan

Devon Conway

Daryl Mitchell

Trent Boult

Mark Wood

The match will start at 2.00 PM IST (streamed live on Disney plus Hotstar app & on TV on Star Sports 1)

If you are playing the Season Long ICC Men's CWC Fantasy Click here to know more.

For how to use Boosters, click here.

Will New Zealand manage to win against England after the heart break in 2019?

Dream 11 ICC Official Season Long ICC Men's CWC 2023 Fantasy Game - 7 Boosters Explained plus How & When to use them

In the last post, I listed out the Top 10 Differential players for the first 2-3 matches of the ICC CWC 2023 along with a few tips and tricks to start the season long game.

Now let us dive deep into the boosters being provided for the Official Season Long ODI CWC 2023 Fantasy Game powered by Dream11 and what they mean and how and when might be the best time/ games to play them.

Boosters

A total of 7 boosters have been given which you can use any time you want. These boosters can really help in getting the rank to go up if used at the right time. Let us now go into detail about every booster in detail along with the fixtures.

Super Transfer - Unlimited transfers, like a Wildcard

Best Usage

The booster is best used to either hop on to get a team which allows you to play your Double up booster in the next match by getting 7-8 players or to hop off from your team after playing the Double up booster by making a balanced squad for the next 3/ 4 games. It is unavailable for the first group stage match and the first semi final when we already have unlimited transfers.

Triple Scorer - Selected player gets *3 of their Fantasy points

Best Usage

It can be used on any player once and the concerned player gets *3 of their Fantasy points. It's important to note that you will still be able to select your captain and vice captain as usual.

So the best time to use this booster is when you think that there are multiple good options to maximize points. For example, when you've 3-4 very good options and you're confused about whom to select captain/ vice captain, then this booster can help you to reduce your headache and maximize the points.

You can use it in a game involving two strong teams like Australia/ England/ India/ New Zealand.

Double up - The most important booster. Doubles the points of your team. Use this wisely.

Best Usage

As the name implies, activating this booster gives all your players double their Fantasy points. So, your captain gets *4 and vice captain gets *3 times their Fantasy points. This is the most powerful booster in the game and can easily give you around 1500 points in one game thereby boosting your rank immensely.

I would suggest to use this booster when two evenly matched teams play for example, Ind v Pak, Ind v Aus, Aus v Eng, NZ v Eng, Aus v NZ.

It's ideal to have a full playing XI to maximize the full potential of the double up booster.

Power Batter - All batters in your team get *2 the points

Best Usage

Almost all pitches in India are very good for batting generally but venues like Chennai, Delhi and Lucknow might aid spin more.

Select matches being played at Chinnaswamy , Wankhede, Rajiv Gandhi, Narendra Modi stadiums to activate your power batter booster.

Some of the matches I would Target are Aus v Eng, Eng v NZ, Ind v SA, Pak v Aus, SL v Eng, Ind v Pak & Ind v NZ.

It's ideal to get 6 batters in your team to use this booster for maximum advantage.

Power Bowler - All bowlers in your team get *2 the points

Best Usage

Pitches in Delhi and Lucknow are traditionally favorable to spin bowlers. However, with the pitches having being relaid for the World Cup, it remains to be seen if these pitches behave any differently. Select a match which has two good bowling sides, select 6 bowlers and activate the power bowler booster.

There are many good matches where this booster might be played.

Power All-rounder - All All-rounders in your team get *2 the points

Best Usage

You'll need 4 good all rounders involved in a match so you can realise the full potential of this booster. Teams like Australia (Maxwell, Marsh, Stoinis, Green), England (Stokes, Curran, Moeen, Livingstone, Woakes), New Zealand (Phillips, Mitchell, Santner, Neesham, Ravindra), Sri Lanka (Dhananjaya, Shanaka),

Netherlands (De Leede, Ackermann, Vikram Singh, Van der Merwe), Pakistan (Shadab, Iftikhar, Nawaz), South Africa (Markam, Jensen), Bangladesh (Shakib, Mahedi, Mehidy) have a good set of all rounders.

India has Hardik Pandya, Jadeja and Ashwin listed as all rounders. Afghanistan doesn't seem to have good all rounders with Rashid and Mujeeb both listed as bowlers.

Australia, England and New Zealand seem to have the best and most all rounders in the game hence it makes sense to play the booster in a game involving any of these teams although there are plenty of other good options available too depending on the pitch, ground conditions, team form, etc.

Power Keeper - All wicket-keepers in your team get *2 the points

Best Usage

You can select a maximum of 4 keepers but generally those many keepers won't be playing in a single game. Look out for teams with 2 keepers listed and who might start so that you can maximize the power keeper booster.

New Zealand has Latham and Conway both listed as keepers. England have Bairstow and Buttler while Australia have Inglis and Carry listed as keepers. South Africa have Klassen and Quinton de Kock while Bangladesh have Das and Mushfiqur. Sri Lanka have three of their top 4 listed as keepers.

This booster may be activated with 3 players.

All in all, the 7 boosters should give plenty of incentive to make up lost ground as they have immense potential to deliver high points in a single game.

For an overview on how to play the game, click here

Do let me know what players you're looking at? What's your favourite booster?