The Indian Premier League 2016 starts on Saturday April 9 and the official Fantasy is up and running here. Here is a look at the key players to consider as well as a recap of the transfer rules.
Transfers
During the Group phase of the tournament, users are allowed to make up to 80 transfers in total. Then between the Group phase and the start of the Eliminator, users can again make unlimited transfers to their team. Between the start of the Eliminator and the Final, users can make up to eight transfers.
All teams are only allowed to play four overseas (non-Indian) players in every match. A lot of the teams have five to six decent overseas players meaning a few of those mentioned in this article might not be regulars for their teams.
Players
Delhi Daredevils
Quinton de Kock (9m) is a destructive opener and probably the most apt wicketkeeper in this edition. He will most likely open the batting with Shreyas Iyer (9m), predicted by many to be the next Indian superstar. Iyer was a prolific run scorer in the last edition of the IPL.
Pawan Negi (7m) was a part of the Indian WT20 squad; he will offer something with the bat in the middle order and is a handy spinner. Be cautious when picking Negi though as there is no shortage of spinners for Delhi. They have two good leg spinners in Amit Mishra (8m) and the South African Imran Tahir (9m), along with his fellow countryman JP Duminy (10m) who can bowl a bit. Duminy’s high price is due to his incredible batting average of 38 in T20 cricket.
“Remember the name, Carlos Brathwaite (7m)” said Ian Bishop after Brathwaite smashed four sixes in the final over to seal the World T20. Eyebrows were raised when Brathwaite was picked up in the auction but he put all his doubters to shame at the WT20. He finished off two matches with the bat in the tournament, not to mention his three crucial wickets in the final. At 7m Brathwaite might prove to be a good budget option.
Gujrat Lions
Brendon McCullum (10m) might have retired from international cricket but he will still be going strong in franchise cricket. Twice has McCullum scored 158 not out in T20s – who can forget his sublime innings in the first ever IPL game? He has seven centuries in T20 making him hard to ignore in this format.
Suresh Reina (10.5m) had a quiet WT20 but he usually turns beast mode on as soon as the IPL starts. World champion Dwayne Bravo (12m) made his name in T20 cricket. As a batsman he can hit them big but he might be worth investing in due to his bowling. Bravo usually bowls a lot of his overs at the death meaning the chances of taking wickets are higher. He took 26 wickets in last year’s edition, more than any other bowler.
A budget option is Dhawal Kulkarni (7m), a decent medium pace bowler. In general be careful when choosing players from Gujrat because this is a new team. We don’t know much about their team chemistry and how they will be setting up their XI.
Kings XI Punjab
It’s hard to look past David Miller (9.5m) and especially Glen Maxwell (10m). Both are explosive and take the game away from the opposition in a jiffy. Maxwell loves a bowl as well on the Indian pitches making him a must have all rounder.
Axar Patel (8m) is likely to lead the spinning attack. Kings XI have poached Mohit Sharma (7.5m) and at that price the seamer might be worth keeping an eye on.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Manish Pandey (7.5m) scored a match winning ODI hundred vs Australia a couple of months ago. He will forever be remembered for being the first Indian to score a century in the IPL. Gautam Gambhir (8.5m) has a lot of experience at the top of the order and will be captaining the team.
KKR have strong all rounders with Andre Russell (11.5m) being one of them. Russell is lethal with both bat and ball and was one of the main reasons to why West Indies won the WT20. The bargain of the entire game might turn out to be Shakib al Hasan (8m). Shakib has topped the all rounders charts for a while in international cricket.
Sunil Narine (9m) is a world class bowler but has had problems with his action the past year. It’s hard to tell what kind of shape his bowling will be in or if he indeed is going to play. His first two games are on the slow and low Kolkata pitch so he might be worth punting on. Piyush Chawla (7.5m) offers more spin or there is Umesh Yadav (7m) if you want a budget seamer.
Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma (11m) is an obvious pick for the opening game. Give the man a flat wicket and more often than not he will go big. Lendl Simmons (10m) is likely to be his partner in crime at the top of the order. Simmons showed his worth last week when he knocked the hosts India out of the WT20 after arriving from a 24 hour flight the day before. If picked to play Jos Buttler (9m) could be a force.
Corey Anderson (9.5m) is a powerful all rounder. Bowling wise it’s hard to look past Jasprit Bumrah (9m). Bumrah bowls yorkers at will and he will be dangerous both at the start of the innings and at the death. There is also Mitchell McClenaghan (8.5m), who took 18 wickets in last year’s addition.
Rising Pune Supergiants
Ajinkya Rahane (9.5m) was the second highest scorer last year. Kevin Pietersen (10m) is a T20 specialist these days, playing all sorts of leagues around the world. Captain MS Dhoni (9m) is always a popular choice but his batting position means there are better options elsewhere.
Ravi Ashwin (11m) is probably the best spinner in this IPL and therefore hard to overlook. Pune have a lot of bowlers so it’s not easy to predict who plays but Ishwar Pandey (6.5m) could be a potential gem.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Virat Kohli (12m) is arguably the best T20 batsman in the world. Chris Gayle (12m) is arguably the most lethal hitter in the world, or is it AB de Villiers (12m)? There is no shortage of batting power and class in the RCB team. Good luck fitting all three in your team!
Sarfaraz Khan (7m) is one of the most talented batsman in India but his time at the crease might often be limited because of the three superstars mentioned above. Bowling wise RCB are weak. They might have to rely on Shane Watson (11m). Watch out for Yuzvendra Chahal (8.5m). Samuel Badree (8m) is a must have if he is cleared fit, he seemed to injure his shoulder in the WT20 final.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Shikar Dhawan (9m) and David Warner (11.5m) will likely open the batting and be a forceful pair.
Ashish Nehra (9.5m) may be at the twilight of his career but he has never been in better form. He was one of the top wicket takers in the last format and on Sunday he was named in the World T20 team of the tournament. Mustafizur Rahman (8m) has fantastic stats, both internationally and domestically. He has a well disguised slow ball which will land him a few wickets.
