GameDay Squad IND Fantasy Cricket: Risers and Fallers: In this blog we are going to look at which players' values have either risen or fallen since the start of the 2024 IPL season. Some players may be fringe players for your starting squad and may not have too much relevance this season. Other players may have been at the top of the game last season but are currently out of form. Here are some possible risers and fallers after the first 21 matches of the 2024 IPL season.
Risers
Tristian Stubbs - Wicket-Keeper
Delhi Capitals
Average 53.8 points, played five matches and made the squad of the round three times.
Even though Pant is the more recognised name at the Capitals, Stubbs has outperformed him in GDS and is averaging 4.6 more points than Pant. This is mainly because of Stubbs last innings against the Mumbai Indians where he had an incredible knock and scored 71 runs not out off 25 balls. Stubbs is a risky starting option for coaches as he hasn't been as consistent as Pant and has two scores of 5 runs or less. For those coaches that have decided to start Stubbs, they should find themselves climbing the GDS rankings.
Sunil Narine - All Rounder
Kolkata Knight Riders
Average 91 points, played three matches and made the squad of the round two times.
What else can you ask for in GDS when you have an all-rounder that opens the batting and bowls their full complement of overs! Narine is the man! He's averaging 44 runs and has taken a wicket in all his matches. Narine has a very high ceiling and if you don't already have his card, I'd be trying to acquire one as soon as possible.
Nicholas Pooran - Wicket-Keeper
Lucknow Super Giants
Average 73.8 points, played four matches and made the squad of the round three times. Pooran is the inform wicket-keeper of the IPL and is the top ranked player at his position in GDS. He has only scored one fifty but has scored 30+ runs in all his other innings for an average of 178 runs (this includes three not outs). Coming in at either five or six in the LSG batting order is giving him the opportunity to finish off the innings and he is doing this very well. With a SR of 169.52 and him facing an average of 26 balls each innings, he will likely be considered as a must start by many GDS coaches whenever LSG play.
Riyan Parag - All-Rounder
Rajasthan Royals
Average 61 points, played four matches and made the squad of the round four times.
Parag is one of the inform all-rounders of the IPL and is ranked third in the GDS all-rounder rankings. Even though he only scored 6 points in the last match against RCB, he still made the squad of the round. In this match, he also bowled the one over and this is hopefully a sign of more to come with the ball. I wouldn't be banking on him bowling in every match but his form with the bat is enough for me to start him in every Rajasthan Royals match.
Heinrich Klaasen - Wicket-Keeper
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Average 60.3 points, played four matches and made the squad of the round three times.
Klaasen is the player from Sunrisers Hyderabad with the highest average of points. The hard hitting South African is averaging 44 runs and has already scored two fifties. Klaasen is a must start in my opinion as he offers a very high ceiling, even though he comes in at number five in the Sunrisers batting order. Klaasen is a very popular starting option for a lot of GDS coaches and you would be a brave coach leaving him out of your starting squad.
Fallers
Ruturaj Gaikwad - Batter
Chennai Super Kings
Average 28.8 points, played four matches and made the squad of the round once.
Gaikwad is CSK's premier batsman, but he has been out of form this season. He is averaging 22 runs, and this is considerably down from his average of 39 runs in 2023. To be honest, it's hard not to start Gaikwad when Rahane and Dhoni are the only other two players from CSK that coaches would consider starting in the BAT/WKT position. Gaikwad is still a very good player and hopefully he can find some form soon.
Rahul Tewatia - All-Rounder
Gujarat Titans
Average 25 points, played five matches and has not made the squad of the round.
To be honest, all of the Titans all-rounders have been underperforming in GDS but Tewatia averages less than Omarzai, Khan and Nalkande. He only comes in at either six or seven in the Titans batting order and hasn't featured with the ball yet this season. Personally, I see Tewatia as a depth piece to your squad and believe there will be better all-rounder starting options whenever the Titans play.
Piyush Chawla - Bowler
Mumbai Indians
Average 15.3 points, played four matches and made the squad of the round once.
Chawla has played in every match for the Mumbai Indians so far but has yet to bowl his full complement of four overs. When you have the likes of Coetzee, Madhwal and Bumrah in the same team, it's hard to justify selecting Chawla to start in your squad. I'm not going to go and say that he won't be relevant in GDS, but he will need more opportunities with the ball to pique any interest from a lot of GDS coaches.
Harshal Patel - Bowler
Punjab Kings
Average 26.8 points, played four matches and has not made the squad of the round.
Don't get me wrong, it's difficult for most players to perform in the fantasy sense match after match but Patel is yet to provide GDS coaches with a squad of the round performance this season. He absolutely has the skills to be fantasy relevant but there just seems to be other bowlers outperforming him each match. He has a highest rank of 6th in a round and this just doesn't cut it for GDS coaches. Especially when he has bowled four overs in every match.
Faf du Plessis - Batter
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Average 28.8 points, played five matches and made the squad of the round two times.
In 2023 FDP was the second ranked batsman with an average of 63 points. What we have seen this year is a far cry from what we saw last season, and this has been disappointing for GDS coaches. However, in his last match against the Rajasthan Royals he did have a decent knock and scored 44 runs off 33 balls. Hopefully his form is turning a corner and FDP becomes a must start player once again. For now, he remains a risky selection for GDS coaches.
