IPL Fantasy Tips: Five batsmen who are must have in your fantasy team during the tournament

IPL 2020: Here is a list of batsmen we think will be great picks for fantasy teams based on their performance history and chance of getting picked in the Playing XI.

As we approach the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020), cricket fans are busy fine tuning their picks for the several fantasy games they’ll be playing. Fantasy leagues are a great way for fan integration as they live the highs and lows of a match along with the players.

MS Dhoni, David Warner and Chris Gayle are proven IPL performers.(Getty Images)

Who are going to be the hot properties in IPL? Here is a list of bowlers we think will be great picks for fantasy teams based on their performance history and chance of getting picked in the Playing XI.

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1. MS Dhoni

Captain of Chennai Super Kings, MS Dhoni is expected to be a big draw, simply because he returns to cricket after a gap of 14 months. Having last played cricket at last year’s World Cup, Dhoni announced his international retirement in August, which means the IPL becomes all the more important for him. With three IPL titles to his name and the experience of leading the most consistent team among all eight franchises, Dhoni will have a bigger role to play than all other seasons in the absence of Suresh Raina. There is a strong chance that the Dhoni of old may surface which could mean only one thing: Runs will galore and sixes will rain.

2. Virat Kohli

There are fewer all-format batsmen more polished than Virat Kohli. The captain of the Indian team has had a reasonable record with the national team but has not been able to channel it in the IPL. Twice RCB have finished at the bottom of the pile and twice have emerged as the second-last team, however, a refreshed Kohli is expected to change the fortunes of the team this time around. Kohli scored 464 and 530 runs in the previous two seasons, but with the additional support of Aaron Finch this time around, do not rule out a 2016-like season for the RCB skipper.

3. Chris Gayle

The Universe Boss, Chris Gayle has two huge IPL records to his name – that of most sixes (326 in 124 innings) and the maximum centuries (6). Despite switching ships from RCB to Kings XI Punjab, the big-hitting Jamaican continued his love affair with the IPL, piling up 368 and 490 runs respectively in the previous two seasons. At 40, Gayle may not be the fittest or the most agile player around, but the power in those muscles refused to die down. Having last played cricket in January, expect Gayle to explode.

4. David Warner

The IPL always brings the best out of Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner. Consider this: In the previous three IPL seasons, Warner has racked up 848, 641 and 692 runs in 2017, 2018 and 2019 respectively. This followed a couple of seasons with 528 and 562 runs. It should be a no-brainer that Warner is one of IPL’s most consistent big-hitters. Last season, fresh off his 12-month ban, Warner plundered one century and eight fifties to lead SRH’s charge and there is no reason why he cannot do it two years in a row.

5. Rohit Sharma

What do you say about a batsman with three ODI double centuries? MI skipper Rohit Sharma has been in the form of his life ever since he struck those record five centuries at last year’s World Cup. Ever since, he has excelled as an opener in Test cricket and as he gears up to break Mumbai Indians’ pattern of winning the IPL title every alternate year since 2013, hoping for an encore, big things will be expected from the MI captain. Having made his intentions of opening the batting clear means Rohit will get to face the maximum number of balls and once he is set, we know what he’s capable of.