IPL 2022 fantasy picks: Rohit Sharma left out of Dream XI for CSK vs MI - captain, vice-captain, top tips

The Indian Premier League has been heating up over the past few weeks with nearly 60 out of the scheduled 74 games having been played already.

Jos Buttler has been smashing centuries left, right and centre for his team the Rajasthan Royals while Yuzvendra Chahal has been ripping apart the opponents batters, taking 23 wickets in the tournament already.

This year, the IPL has seen two new teams come to life, the Gujarat Titans and the Lucknow SuperGiants, both of whom are now leading the table with 18 points and 16 points respectively.

Last year’s winners, the Chennai Super Kings, currently find themselves in ninth spot just ahead of the IPL’s most successful team ever, the Mumbai Indians.

Today, these two iconic IPL franchises will take each other on in a bid to save themselves from coming bottom of the league.

As the two teams prepare another bitter contest, here is a look at the ideal Dream11 to pick for your Fantasy IPL side made up of players from CSK and MI…

Captain

MS Dhoni

If MS Dhoni is in your team, there is no way he is not your captain. Dhoni is an Indian legend and the longest serving player in the IPL.

He has led CSK to four Championships, the latest coming in 2021 and is so far enjoying an overall average of 32.60 in 2022 - an average even more impressive, considering he bats down at number seven.

His strike rate is 139.31 and has hit a high score of 50*. There is no better play to lead a side than the face of the IPL, MS Dhoni.

Vice-Captain:

Tilak Varma

Varma has stormed the IPL this year for the Mumbai Indians. He has hit 334 runs overall, facing just 245 balls in the process.

The Hyderabad batter has been his team’s saving grace this year. As the most successful side in the IPL slump into last place in the league, Varma has shone throughout and saved his team from even more disgrace.

Batting down the order, Varma has steadied an extraordinarily shaky ship and has enjoyed an average of 37.11 in the process

Safe Bets

Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali really came into his own in the 2021 IPL tournament and has once again been a dependable player for the Chennai Super Kings in 2022.

Despite only playing in seven of the CSK’s 11 fixtures so far, Ali has scored 130 runs as well as taking five wickets at an average of 21.80.

While he is neither the leading wicket-taker or leading run-scorer for CSK this year, he is a consistent performer and is sure to act where necessary whenever his team needs, whether it be with the ball or bat.

Jasprit Bumrah

Having a similar effect to Varma, Bumrah has been a brief baton of hope in the Mumbai Indians otherwise disastrous campaign.

India’s destructive fast bowler has taken 10 wickets in his 11 innings and is sure to get the ball moving about throughout his spells.

He recently took 5/10 as well as a maiden in his first four overs and produced the best bowling figures by an Indian pacer in IPL history - a most definite safe bet heading into the final few matches of the group stage.

Conflicts

Rohit Sharma is the current captain of the Mumbai Indians and the Indian national Test team. However, as an opener, he should be securing the majority of his team’s runs in a limited-overs match.

He is currently on an average of 18.18 - less than impressive for someone of his calibre.

Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikward, however, have inspired much more in their respective roles, and while their names may not hold the same weight as Sharma, their current forms are not to be ignored.

Kishan as scored 321 runs in 274 balls, including a high score of 81* while Gaikwad has made 306 runs off 230 balls and narrowly missed out on an IPL century, hitting a highest score of 99.

Ravindra Jadeja would have been another top choice, offering with both bat and ball, but he has recently been ruled out of the remainder of the IPL with bruised ribs.

Dream11

Ishan Kishan; Ruturaj Gaikward, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Tilak Varma (vc), MS Dhoni, Kieron Pollard; Dwayne Bravo; Makeesh Theekshana; Mukesh Choudhary; Jasprit Bumrah.

When is CSK v MI?

The two teams will play each other today, Thursday 12 May 2022 at 3pm BST. The match is available to watch on Sky Sports