Last Updated on 4 months by Charbel Coorey
IND vs ENG 2nd T20 2025 Dream11 Prediction | Fantasy Cricket Tips, Possible XIs, Chepauk Chennai Pitch Report
The India-England five-match T20I showdown moves to Chepauk for take two. India brushed England aside with ultimate ease at Eden Gardens, with the spinners, particularly Varun Chakravarthy leaving the visitors in a web.
Harry Brook said the Kolkata smog made things difficult. However, truth be told, England must be better against the spinners in the middle order, where they’ll hope to be playing off a strong platform from the powerplay.
With regards to India’s batting, there is power right the way down the lineup. Abhishek Sharma continues to produce the goods, boasting a strike rate of 191.71 in T20 powerplays since the start of IPL 2024. For England to succeed, they need early inroads.
Match Details
- England tour of India, 2025: 2nd T20I
- Time: 7:00 PM IST
- Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
IND vs. ENG 2nd T20 2025 Possible Playing XIs
India are likely to remain unchanged.
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy
England have brought in Brydon Carse for Gus Atkinson. Jacob Bethell has been ill and could be replaced by Jamie Smith, who is in the 12-man squad for this match.
England: 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jos Buttler (c), 4 Harry Brook, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jacob Bethell/Jamie Smith, 7 Jamie Overton, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai Pitch Report and Weather
Until 2017, Chepauk was primarily a bat-first venue in the IPL, with teams batting first winning 62.5% of the time. However, since 2018, the trend has levelled out. Teams chasing have won 51.4% of the time, while sides batting first have won 48.6%. This shift is due to improved batting decks in some seasons and the arrival of dew in others, which have made batting easier in the second innings.
In the 18 IPL matches played in Chennai over the last couple of seasons, 5,828 runs have been scored at a run rate of 8.43, compared to 5,179 runs at a rate of 7.40 in the 18 matches from 2019-21.
A humid evening is forecast with dew expected to play a role. The captain who wins the toss is likely to field.
Spin still is the way to go at Chepauk.
Fantasy Cricket Tips for IND vs ENG 2nd T20 2025 – Top Dream11 Picks for the Match
Top wicket-keeper picks:
- Sanju Samson: In form, opening the innings and also keeping wickets, Samson is a must-pick for your team. With 462 runs at a strike rate of 177.01 since the T20 World Cup last year, including three centuries, he has been India’s highest run-scorer in this format.
- Phil Salt: The same applies to Salt, who will be keeping wickets for England. Since the start of 2023, among openers, only Faf du Plessis has scored more T20 runs than Salt’s 2741 runs (SR: 162.28). Despite his duck in Kolkata, you’d still want to back him in your team.
- Jos Buttler: Buttler enjoys batting in India, with 7 out of his 8 T20 centuries coming on Indian soil. Overall, he has scored 3807 runs in India at an average of 38.84 and a strike rate of 147.15. He’s in good T20 form, making him a top option for this match.
Top batter picks:
- Abhishek Sharma: After a lean patch, Abhishek has bounced back to form with scores of 50 (25), 36 (18), and 79 (34) in his last three T20I innings. Moreover, the pace at which he scores almost always ensures bonus fantasy points for boundaries and a high strike rate.
Top all-rounder picks:
- Hardik Pandya: In the combination India are playing, Hardik becomes the second pacer, significantly boosting his fantasy value and making him a safe captaincy option, regardless of the toss result.
- Jamie Overton: A 6’ 5’’ tall pacer who can hit the deck hard and is also a capable lower-order hitter, Overton offers immense fantasy value. With his low selection percentage, he could be a game-changer for your team.
Top bowler picks:
- Arshdeep Singh: Since the start of 2023, Arshdeep has taken 64 T20I wickets at a strike rate of 12.8, consistently claiming 2 wickets per game. His extremely high selection percentage means you can’t afford to leave him out, unless you’re a risk-taker and India are bowling second.
- Varun Chakravarthy: The Player of the Match in Kolkata, Chakravarthy has taken 76 T20 wickets at a strike rate of 13.8 since 2023, establishing himself as India’s lead spinner in this format. With his stump-to-stump line, LBW and bowled dismissals are always in play, making him a valuable source of extra fantasy points. However, he has only taken 6 wickets in 6 T20s at Chepauk, and if you enjoy taking risks, he can be excluded if India bowl first.
- Adil Rashid: Since the start of 2023, Rashid has taken 73 wickets in the middle overs (7-16) at an economy rate of 7.11. At Chepauk, his leg spin can be particularly effective, making him a fine differential pick for this match.
- Jofra Archer: Archer’s quality was never in doubt, but he bowled with excellent pace and rhythm in the 1st T20I, making him a top option for this match, especially when bowling first.
Other Players to Consider for your Fantasy Cricket Team
- Suryakumar Yadav: Suryakumar seems to have lost some form recently. Since the T20 World Cup, he’s averaging just 23 after 10 T20I innings, and his recent domestic form has been far from promising. While it may still be a bit too risky to leave him out, especially with no frontline left-arm spinner in the opposition XI, he’s no longer a top pick.
- Liam Livingstone: While Livingstone’s batting may not inspire much confidence against India’s spin trio, the possibility of him being England’s second spinner at Chepauk enhances his fantasy value, making him an appealing option for this match.
- Ravi Bishnoi: He went wicketless in Kolkata, but that’s not something you’ll see every day. With his selection percentage dropping for this match, he could be a solid differential option. He too generally bowls a stump-to-stump line, keeping LBW and bowled dismissals very much in play.
- Ben Duckett: A fine player of spin who plays both the conventional sweep and the reverse sweep with great efficacy, Duckett could prove to be an excellent pick at Chepauk, provided he gets past Arshdeep’s new ball burst.
- Mark Wood: Wood clocked an average pace of nearly 147kph in Kolkata, and bowled 7 deliveries over 150kph. With the slightly larger square boundaries in Chennai and his ability to hit the deck hard at express pace, he could be among the wickets and prove to be a top differential pick for your side.
- Axar Patel: Left-arm orthodox has been an effective bowling type at Chepauk, and England have also struggled against finger spin in recent times, making Axar a decent option for this game.
Top safe C/VC options: Hardik Pandya, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh (bowling first)
Top risky C/VC options: Jamie Overton, Phil Salt, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav
IND vs ENG 2nd T20 2025 Dream11 Prediction: Base Team
I encourage you to build your own Fantasy XI using the insights provided in the article. Instead of giving you a ready-made team, I’ve offered a base team. Use it as a starting point to select the players you believe will lead you to victory!
