Fantasy Pick: Make Samson captain and Hardik vice-captain
May 24: Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals, Qualifier 1, Eden Gardens
Safe XI: Sanju Samson (capt), Wridhhiman Saha, Shubman Gill, David Miller, Devdutt Padikkal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Hardik Pandya (vice-capt), Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Shami, Trent Boult, Rashid Khan.
Captain: Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson has recorded scores of 20 or more in eight games this season, trying to be consistent with the bat. He has hit the most sixes (16) among Indians in the middle overs. He will get you additional points for his keeping, having recorded the highest dismissals (14) in this season.
Vice-captain: Hardik Pandya
After a string of low scores in the recent games, the Titans captain got back to form with an unbeaten 47-ball 62 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the last game. He is the leading run-scorer for his side this season with 413 runs in 13 games at an average of 41.30. The last time he batted at Eden Gardens, he smashed 91 off just 34 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2019. Against Rajasthan Royals, he has scored 273 runs in eight innings at an average of 91 and a strike rate of 185.71.
Hot Picks
Wriddhiman Saha: Nobody in the current season knows the Eden Gardens' pitch and conditions better than Saha, who has been playing in his home venue for decades. His recent IPL scores at this venue are 35, 24, 25, 24, 33 and 35 which gives you minimum guaranteed fantasy points. Saha has scored 212 runs in nine innings in powerplay at a strike rate of 138.56 and has been dismissed only twice so far.
Mohammad Shami: The 31-year-old pacer has taken 11 wickets at an economy of 6.28 in the powerplay. He has taken nine wickets in his last five outings against Royals. He is the sixth-joint leading wicket-taker this season with 18 wickets in 14 games.
Differential Picks
Yashasvi Jaiswal: The stylish left-handed opener has been in some form after getting back into the XI. His recent scores are 59, 41, 19 and 68. He has scored 126 runs in powerplay at a strike rate of 144.82 and has been dismissed only twice in seven games in this phase. His powerplay strike rate is the second-best among all Indian batters this season, only behind Prithvi Shaw's 150.69.
Trent Boult: The New Zealand pacer has been blowing hot and cold this season, for his new franchise Royals, having taken 13 wickets in 13 games. However, he has started to look threatening in the recent games, picking up four wickets in the last three games in the powerplay.
High Risk XI: Sanju Samson, Wridhhiman Saha (capt), Jos Buttler, Matthew Wade, David Miller, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal (vice-capt), R Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Prasidh Krishna.