Russel Arnold helps you pick your fantasy XI (6:05)
December 1: Jaffna Stallions vs Kandy Tuskers, Hambantota
Pro Tip: Batting is the strength for both teams, so pick more batters in this game.
Our XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Shoaib Malik, Asela Gunaratne, Tom Moores, Thisara Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Naveen-ul-Haq, Duanne Olivier
Substitutes: Usman Shinwari, Dhananjaya de Silva, Nuwan Pradeep, Seekuge Prasanna
Player availability: The Tuskers’ Brendan Taylor and Dale Steyn’s availability is still uncertain. We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates, so please finalise your team after the toss.
Captain: Kusal Perera
When it comes to the captain’s choice, the Tuskers’ skipper Perera offers the best option. In six T20 innings this year, he has scored 213 runs at a strike rate of 148.95. Perera is also in-form, which was evident from his 52-ball 87 in the first game of the tournament.
Vice-captain: Avishka Fernando
The 22-year old opener started this season with a scintillating and an unbeaten 63-ball 92. He has been scoring heavily in Hambantota too, where in 39 T20s, he has scored 1001 runs at a respectable strike rate of 138.64.
Hot Picks
Rahmanullah Gurbaz: Despite having just turned 19, Gurbaz has already played 38 T20s and scored 983 runs at an average of 26.56 and a strike rate of 157.53. He has already started the tournament with knocks of 53 and 30. In the 40 balls he faced in this tournament he has hit 15 boundaries in total.
Kusal Mendis: The 25-year old is already an experienced campaigner with 146 matches for Sri Lanka across all three formats so far. In both games in this tournament, he batted well in innings of 30 and 34 not out.
Wanindu Hasaranga: The young legspinner has bowled the most economical spell in LPL 2020 so far, with figures of 4-0-12-2 against the Galle Gladiators, who had scored 175. In Sri Lanka’s last ten domestic T20 competition matches, he has also taken 18 wickets and scored 199 runs.
Differential Picks
Asela Gunaratne: Allrounder Gunaratne is still unbeaten in the tournament with 36 runs from two innings, having picked up three wickets too. In his 54-match T20 career, he has a batting average of 23.26 and a bowling average of 28.61.
Tom Moores: Former England cricketer and coach Peter Moores’ son Tom is a hard-hitting T20 wicketkeeper-batsman. In 56 T20 innings, he has hit 58 sixes while getting runs at a strike rate of 138.72.
Alternate Scenarios
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If Usman Shinwari is available, he can replace Duanne Olivier in the XI.
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Nuwan Pradeep and Naveen-ul-Haq are also like-for-like replacements.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo