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[spectre]

PART1 Bangalore Royal Challengers and Deccan Chargers

BANGALORE After the embarrassment of 2008, Vijay Mallya may finally have a team to match his persona. Kevin Pietersen will raise the glamour quotient way above Test level, and fellow new boys Jesse Ryder and Robin Uthappa will beef up the team's T20 skills. And with quite a few South African cricketers in their ranks it will be almost like playing at home. Dale Steyn, who publicly said last season the IPL was like a paid holiday, is sure to rev up his performance. Perhaps the most important South African in their ranks will be the coach - Jennings is known to be a hard taskmaster and will certainly crack the whip. The buzz It's all about Ray Jennings, who has fired from the hip right from the start. He warned the "older" players, expressed worries about Rahul Dravid's captaincy, and criticized the seniors. "The team lacked energy, commitment and skills. If you don't enjoy each other's company it must be a long six weeks," Jennings said. "I will point fingers at the senior players. They are the one who must have run that type of the culture in the side." New faces Don't look beyond Jesse Ryder. Yes, they have KP but he'll be there only for two weeks. Ryder, in contrast, could be the Shane Watson of this edition. He can win a game in 20 minutes of violent batting, with a spectacular fielding effort or with a spell of his nagging, and surprisingly effective, medium-pace. Watch out for Dale Steyn has apologised for his silly comment and can be expected to up his game. He has been in great form in international cricket, leading South Africa recently to memorable victories and he will be playing at home. Missing in action Rahul Dravid and KP after two weeks. For all the criticism, Dravid was easily the highest run-getter for Bangalore last year. However, he will be returning home for the birth of his second child. Pietersen will go back to play for England in the home series against West Indies. X Factor Bhuvneshwar Kumar. A nippy medium pacer, also known as the man who handed Sachin Tendulkar his first duck in Indian domestic cricket, and a useful lower-order batsman. He is not an explosive talent by any stretch of imagination, but is likely to be a very steady and consistent performer. Strength The openers. Bangalore struggled to find a regular pair last year but have Ryder and Robin Uthappa for this edition. Weakness The relatively thin Indian talent and the unavailability of Pietersen after two weeks. While Ross Taylor will replace KP the batsman, Kallis is unproven as a leader and has lots to prove as a batsman in this format. Prediction for 2009 Will do much better than 2008 and will cause a few upsets IPL 2008 - The key figures Final position: 7th Top scorer: Rahul Dravid with 371 runs at 28.53 Top wicket-taker: Steyn with 10 wickets at 25.23 and economy rate of 6.63 Best result: Five-wicket win over Mumbai Indians Worst result: 140-run loss to Kolkata Knight Riders Highest team score: 181 v Delhi Lowest team score: 82 v Kolkata

HYDERABAD Strangely, Deccan Chargers didn't show much interest in the transfer market this year, planning instead to rely on last year's underperforming squad to seek redemption. They will depend heavily on the likes of Rohit Sharma, their best player last year, Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds and Herschelle Gibbs to justify their paycheques. Symonds' career graph has gone downhill since last year, Gilchrist hasn't played much competitive cricket, Gibbs is just making his international comeback - though he has hit form - and even Rohit has slipped since then. The bowling looks pretty weak, with RP Singh leading the attack. They will bank on the fact that for several players, this IPL could be the platform to improve their international career and so, they have to perform. The buzz Perhaps the lack of buzz itself was the buzz. For a team that performed woefully last year, they didn't show any visible sense of purpose in this year's auction. The sacking of VVS Laxman as the captain was announced, oddly enough, during Australia's tour of India, a decision widely criticized for its timing. And then the infighting - Shahid Afridi hit out at Laxman, who in turn turned the mirror on Afridi. On the upside - their new uniform, dumping the drab beige for a livelier obsidian blue. New faces Neither of the two big signings - West Indians Fidel Edwards and Dwayne Smith - inspires awe. Edwards is quick but hasn't proved himself in Twenty20, and Smith, in theory perfectly suited to the format, has rarely turned on the heat in his international career. Watch out for Andrew Symonds. It's a risky pick, given that he hasn't coped well in the recent volatile months, but he undeniably has the skills to turn things around. No one can predict which Andrew Symonds turns up but for his team to do well, Symonds has to fire. Missing in action Shahid Afridi. He was the biggest flop last year but it could have just been an aberration for the violent hitter and smart spinner, for whom Twenty20 could have been the calling card. X Factor Ravi Teja. He is a young talented attacking opening batsman for the Hyderabad Ranji team and, given the opportunities, can make his name in the IPL. Not many have hit Glenn McGrath for six over cover point. Strength Rohit Sharma. He had a stellar first year that prompted experts to believe he would be the face of the new Indian batting line-up. However, he's been on the decline since then and his spot in the Indian team is now in question. This IPL could be his platform to charge back to form. He has the game. Does he have the heart? Weakness The bowling. RP Singh will be leading the pack and the rest don't inspire much optimism. Safe to say not many batting line-ups will lose sleep over facing this attack. Prediction for 2009 Likely to end in the bottom half IPL 2008 - The key figures Final position: 8th Top scorer: Gilchrist with 436 at 33.53 Top wicket-taker: RP Singh: 15 wickets at 29.46 and an economy rate of 8.61 Best result: 10-wicket win over Mumbai Worst result: Nine-wicket loss to Delhi Highest team score: 214 for 5 v Rajasthan Royals Lowest team score: 110 v Kolkata

http://content.cricinfo.com/ipl2009/content/current/story/399512.html

[flamy]

BRC!!!!!!! :yay:

[Don Sharma]

BRC and DC, both FAIL.:P

[flamy]

BRC and DC' date=' both FAIL.:P[/quote'] :finger::finger::finger::finger::finger:

[Don Sharma]

:finger::finger::finger::finger::finger:

:thefinger: One for each:P flamy bava i thot u support CSK...changed ur loyalties?

[flamy]

:thefinger: One for each:P flamy bava i thot u support CSK...changed ur loyalties?

BRC and CSK

[Don Sharma]

BRC

:thumpdown:

and CSK

:nice:

[Don Sharma]

He started with DC last season but jumped out like a rat from a sinking ship once it became clear they weren't going too far. :hatsoff:

:((

[flamy]

He started with DC last season but jumped out like a rat from a sinking ship once it became clear they weren't going too far. :hatsoff:

:--D It's not easy to decide. OK. BRC, DC and CSK. :isalute:

[Don Sharma]

:--D It's not easy to decide. OK. BRC, DC and CSK. :isalute:

There is nothin wrong in keepin our options wide open, after all we aren't married yet:cheers: PS: Hope u r single.

[Don Sharma]

Gaydar activated. :icflove:

:nono: :cantstop:

[spectre]

PART 2 Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab

DELHI Delhi are the team to beat. They had a mixed first season, playing like millionaires one day before inexplicably losing the plot the next to finish with seven wins and six losses going into the semi-finals. They were too top-heavy, with a middle-order that didn't deliver when it mattered. This edition, apart from the in-form Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, they have the explosive David Warner and AB de Villiers, in form of his life, for most of the season. Throw in Sri Lanka's new Twenty20 captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, Manoj Tiwary, Owais Shah, Dinesh Karthik and Paul Collingwood and you have a fabulous batting line-up. Glenn McGrath is 40 and out of active cricket, concentrating on the cancer foundation after his wife's death last year. Age, lack of practice and personal tragedy are enough to derail a very good sportsman but McGrath is an all-time great and only a brave man would bet against his delivering yet again. He leads an attack that will miss Mohammad Asif but he is likely to find solid support from Dirk Nannes, the fast left-arm swinger from Australia known for his Twenty20 prowess. Then there is Daniel Vettori, currently the world's best Twenty20 spinner, and solid mediumpacers Farveez Maharoof and Vijaykumar Yo Mahesh. It's a very balanced side - but McGrath's form could make or break their season. The buzz The relative absence of PR hype is unusual, given the team's potential. It's only at the eleventh hour, following the Indian team's return from New Zealand, that Sehwag and Gambhir - arguably the hottest opening pair in current world cricket - have been trotted out for the media's consumption. New faces Delhi used the auction smartly - they did their homework and reaped the benefits. Warner was signed up even before his Twenty20 Australian debut. They signed up the late bloomer Nannes, who'd made his first-class debut at 29; from the unfancied Vidarbha came Umesh Yadav, a fast bowler with a sharp bouncer. And they traded out the talented batsman Shikhar Dhawan for an additional bowler in Ashish Nehra. Warner, though is the star pick, the face most eagerly watched by the fans. He might even open with Sehwag, with Gambhir at No. 3. He hit a 43-ball 83 against South Africa on his Twenty20 debut and has a strike rate of 148.17 in this format. Watch out for AB de Villiers is on a dream run in his international career. He made a brave announcement at the start of the season that he doesn't want to keep to help him become the No 1 batsman in the world. And he has walked the talk. Expect a flow of runs from him. Missing in action That's the beauty of it - all their top players are available through the season. X Factor Umesh Yadav. He has the pace and he can develop his skills under the guidance of fast bowling experts like Dennis Lillee and TA Sekhar, the men involved with Delhi. Those who watched the Duleep Trophy last season remember how he harassed the likes of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. Strength The top order: Sehwag, Gambhir, de Villiers, and Warner. Top that. Weakness The middle order, even if it's unlikely to be as unpredictable as last year. The good thing this time is that the likes of Dilshan and Karthik (in domestic cricket) were in great form in the recent months. And Tiwary, while not quite in the form that got him an India berth, has been among the runs. PREDICTION FOR 2009 A place in the semis - and it won't be a surprise if they lift the trophy. IPL 2008 - The key figures: Final position: Semi-finalists Top scorer: Gautam Gambhir with 534 runs at 41.07 Top wicket-taker: Yo Mahesh with 16 wickets at 23.12 and economy rate of 8.87 Best result: 105-run win over Rajasthan Worst result: Four-wicket loss to Punjab Highest team score: 194 v Deccan Chargers Lowest team score: 87 v Rajasthan

PUNJAB They were last year's entertainers. Sreesanth walked the talk, Shaun Marsh exploded into the public imagination, Brett Lee was among the wickets and Irfan Pathan played the part of the allrounder. Sri Lankan stalwarts Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara took care of the middle order while also acting as a sounding board for captain Yuvraj Singh. However, things aren't so good this time: Sreesanth is out with an injury, Marsh is returning from a long injury lay-off and will miss a few games playing for Australia, Lee is in decline (and also back from an injury and also playing for Australia), Jayawardene and Sangakkara haven't been in great limited-overs form - and, importantly, this will be their first bit of cricket since the shootout at Lahore. Yuvraj Singh, who didn't shine in last year's edition, will have to carry the show this time around. The buzz Unfortunately, the buzz has centered round their setbacks. Just when they'd dealt with Sreesanth's injury, turning him into their "Fan Mentor and Community face" (whatever that means), came the news of the motor accident involving new signing Jerome Taylor. They have now roped in the South African seamer Yusuf Abdulla. New faces Lee has talked up a rookie - Burt Cockley, a 23-year old fast bowler from New South Wales. He is a groundsman at North Sydney Oval and has never played in an official Twenty20 game. Better known is Ravi Bopara, the English batsman with Punjabi roots. Watch out for Yuvraj Singh. We know that he can be violent in the shorter format of the game but it will be really interesting to see how he copes with the responsibility of leading the batting. Missing in action Leave aside the entertainer, Sreesanth the bowler will be sorely missed by Punjab. He was their highest wicket taker, with 19 wickets, last season. X Factor Bopara, with his batting and slow bowling, will have to step up to ease the batting worries created by the absence of several Australian players like Marsh and James Hopes. Strength In the absence of a strong attack, it has to be their batting. And for that, Yuvraj has to really fire consistently. Weakness Fast bowling. With Sreesanth out and Lee available only for a short duration, it comes down to Irfan Pathan and VRV Singh. They also have Ramesh Powar and, if the ongoing ODIs in South Africa is any indication, he could have a role to play on the turning wickets. PREDICTION FOR 2009 Unlikely to make the semis. IPL 2008 - The key figures: Final position: Semi-finalists Top scorer: Marsh with 616 runs at 68.44 Top wicket-taker: Sreesanth, with 19 wickets at 23.26 Best result: Nine-wicket win over Bangalore Worst result: Nine-wicket loss to Chennai Highest team score: 221 for 3 v Rajasthan Lowest team score: 112 for 8 v Chennai (they made 94 for 3 once but they had successfully chased down then)

[flamy]

Gaydar activated. :icflove:

:cantstop::cantstop::cantstop:

[spectre]

PART 3 Mumbai Indians and Kolkatha Knightriders

Mumbai The most expensive franchise put in a below-par performance last year. They sweated over Tendulkar's injury in the first half, recovered superbly on his return but choked in the big game against Rajasthan Royals, which was their pass to the semi-finals. This year, not only do they have Tendulkar from the start but also the services of the in-form Harbhajan Singh, who missed much of the last season after the most expensive slap in cricket history. They have Sanath Jayasuriya, Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga and, importantly, four allrounders in Dwayne Bravo, Ryan McLaren, JP Duminy and Essex's Graham Napier, who in 2008 hit 152 - including a world record 16 sixes - against Sussex in a Twenty20 match. Though they will miss Pollock, they are a pretty strong and balanced team. The buzz All cricket-centric. Jonty Rhodes is in as fielding coach and Pollock is the squad mentor. Both have been involved in intense pre-tournament training with half the squad. New faces JP Duminy was bought for a whopping US$950,000, Mohammad Ashraful was picked up for $75,000 and they signed up the exciting McLaren and Napier. Zaheer was brought in to compensate for Pollock, Kyle Mills too was drafted in and they traded Nehra for Shikhar Dhawan to balance out Robin Uthappa's exit. Watch out for Harbhajan. He is in his best form in recent times and the South African pitches offered turn in the recent ODI series against Australia. Missing in action Pollock. He chose not to play and he will be missed - especially his experience of bowling on South African pitches - but his backroom help will be invaluable. X Factor Ryan McLaren. A kolpak player whom South Africa tried to head back to his home country after the ODI losses against England last year but his county, Kent, refused to budge. This IPL could be the only venue left for the hard-hitting allrounder to make his name across the world. Strength The batting. Tendulkar and Jayasuriya can, on their day, match the younger Delhi opening combo (Sehwag and Gambhir) and they have Duminy, Dhawan, and Bravo to follow. Weakness The fast bowling. Pollock has left a huge hole. Even Zaheer can leak runs in this format and Malinga has just returned from a long injury lay-off while Dilhara Fernando has rarely been consistent. A strong batting line-up can hurt them. PREDICTION FOR 2009 A place in the semis but perhaps lacking the extra bit needed to lift the trophy. IPL 2008 - The key figures: Final position: Fifth place Top scorer: Sanath Jayasuriya with 514 runs at 42.83 Top wicket-taker: Ashish Nehra with 12 wickets at 29.00 and an economy rate of 7.76 Best result: Nine-wicket wins over Chennai and Bangalore Worst result: Ten-wicket loss to Hyderabad Highest team score: 202 for 7 v Chennai Lowest team score: 116 v Punjab (there were two lower scores but both were successful chases)

Kolkata They seemed more talented than their sixth-place showing last year. This season started off well, with the news of Brendon McCullum's availability for the entire season and Chris Gayle, who didn't play last year due to injury, available for two weeks. Then Buchanan dropped his captaincy bombshell. It might be a stop-start season for Kolkata, whose biggest Achilles heel would be the lack of quality allrounders. They have one in Moises Henriques from New South Wales but it will be interesting to see their combination of four foreign players. Can a Twenty20 outfit win consistently without quality allrounders? We don't have to wait long to find out. The buzz Poor Ganguly. Whether he likes it or not, he can't escape controversy or those Australian coaches. Buchanan has been the chaos theory expert this time around with his multiple captains' idea. He might say that the confusion is the media's creation but Ganguly, and even Ishant Sharma, have said they don't get it. Shane Warne has not let the opportunity slip to throw a few daggers at his old sparring partner Buchanan. Meanwhile, team owner Shahrukh Khan has weighed in, including a rant against Sunil Gavaskar. The Knight Riders ride on controversies. New faces Mashrafe Mortaza is in but he may find it difficult to fill Umar Gul's shoes. Watch out for Ajantha Mendis. Yes, Pakistan and India played him well in the recent ODIs but he was fresh off an injury. Even then, he was rarely collared and, more importantly, for the rest of the world he remains a mystery. Missing in action Umar Gul. His tight bowling with the new ball and the consistently accurate yorkers at the death overs will be sorely missed. X Factor Ashok Dinda. He was the surprise package last year, bursting with enthusiasm and pretty decent skills. He picked up nine wickets at a good economy rate of 6.66 last year. But he has had a very average domestic season since then and might lack the confidence going into this big tournament. Strengths The presence of the explosive McCullum for the entire season. Weakness Quality allrounders. Ganguly, who had the lowest economy rate (6.40) in the side last time for any bowler who bowled at least 20 overs, was the best among the lot. Laxmi Ratan Shukla is the Indian allrounder; he has a big heart but not quite the talent to match it. Even Henriques, while rated highly, is yet to convert his talent to something consistently substantial in first-class cricket. And the seam bowling too doesn't quite have the potency, notwithstanding Ishant Sharma, who has been struggling in limited-overs cricket of late. They might be better off playing their new M&M - Mendis and Murali Kartik. PREDICTION FOR 2009 Will miss out on the semis unless Mendis has an outstanding tournament. IPL 2008 - The key figures: Final position: Sixth place Top scorer: Ganguly with 349 runs at 29.08 Top wicket-taker: Umar Gul, with 12 wickets at 15.33 Best result: 140-run win over Bangalore Worst result: Chennai won by nine wickets Highest team score: 222 for 3 v Bangalore Lowest team score: 67 all out v Mumbai

[spectre]

PART 4 - The Champions League teams - Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Superkings :yay:

Rajasthan They were last season's Cinderella team: Written off at the start, but drawing fans as they embarked on a fairy-tale run that improbably went all the way. They will face the pressure of being the defending champions this time around - but then they have a leader who thrives on pressure. It won't be all smooth sailing, though. Shane Watson is available only as a batsman, and that too for just two weeks, and Sohail Tanvir will be sorely missed. Tyron Henderson, the hardhitting allrounder, will do his best to fill that hole; Dimitri Mascarenhas and Graeme Smith should be available for the entire season. The buzz It's all about Warne (with apologies to Shilpa Shetty). He has spoken about the past, the present, and the future of this format. He has thrown darts at his old friend John Buchannan, talked about his friendship with Graeme Smith and has embraced South Africa while expressing sorrow over the loss of India as the venue. Meanwhile, he has quietly picked new faces, discarded the likes of Mohammad Kaif, taken his team to see Australia-South Africa ODI games and generally continued being the team's undisputed marketing and cricketing guru. New faces Tyron Henderson, bought for $650,000, is an impact player in this format and Shaun Tait, while not quite possessing the consistency of Tanvir, can do damage in a four-over spell. Indeed, one of the success stories of this season could be the Warne's handling of the fragile Tait. Morne Morkel and Justin Langer are also available. Rob Quiney, the hard-hitting Victoria top-order batsman, has been picked as an uncapped signing; other signings include Victoria's fast bowler Shane Harwood and Queensland allrounder Lee Carseldine. Watch out for Henderson. He can be the Watson of this edition. He hits the length, has a good control over the slower ones and is a hard hitter. And he will be playing at home. Missing in action Sohail Tanvir. The highest wicket-taker last year and a superb death-over specialist, he will also be missed for his useful lower-order batting. X Factor Kamran Khan, a left-arm slinger kept under wraps by Warne. It will be interesting to see how Warne uses him. Will he play him only in select games? Strength A very well-balanced team with the emphasis on batting. They have quality in Graeme Smith, players like Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan and Henderson who can hit out against the spinners and medium pacers, and a steady bowling attack in Warne, Munaf Patel, Sidharth Trivedi and Jadeja. And they have weeded out players like Kaif who weren't 100% last season. Weakness The absence of Tanvir and Watson (he'll play only as a batsman) from the bowling is a concern. But not many expected the injury-prone Watson to be so effective with the ball last season. Time for Henderson and Tait to step up. PREDICTION FOR 2009 Should make it to the semi-finals. At that stage, their bowling might crack under pressure. IPL 2008 - The key figures: Final position: Winners Top scorer: Shane Watson with 472 runs at 47.20 Top wicket-taker: Sohail Tanvir 22 at 12.09 and economy rate of 7.07 Best result: 105-run win over Delhi Worst result: Delhi won by nine wickets Highest team score: 217 for 7 v Deccan Chargers Lowest team score: 103 v Mumbai

Chennai They were a pretty solid outfit last year: The batting was impressive with Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey in full form though the bowling botched up a few times. They have strengthened it this year with the inclusion of Andrew Flintoff, though only for the first half. It will be interesting to see which four foreigners play. If Flintoff goes in with Makhaya Ntini, Albie Morkel, and Matthew Hayden, we might see Muralitharan, who wasn't so effective last year, sit out with the offspinner R Ashwin, who was the highest wicket-taker in the Challenger series, playing alongside L Balaji and Manpreet Gony. The buzz It's been a pretty professional, low-profile show so far - just as it was last year. They announced very early the redesignation of Stephen Fleming as a mentor, rolled out a new team song early, and hit South Africa early as well for their camp. In the auction they got what they wanted - Flintoff. New faces Flintoff, Thilan Thushara, and the Tasmanian George Bailey, who might not be used much. Watch out for Suresh Raina. He was just ahead of Rohit Sharma in the pecking order before India's series against Sri Lanka began but rocketed ahead by the end of the New Zealand series. Look out for his beautiful strikes over extra-cover. Not many in the world play it better than him. Missing in action Michael Hussey, though he has said he will be available for semi-finals if needed. Barring Hussey and Flintoff, all their foreign players are available for the full season. X Factor Stephen Fleming the coach. This is his first stint in this role but, if you believe Suresh Raina, he was a great help in developing mental skills. Raina spoke about the dinner meetings last year when Fleming would take him and the young players and offer advice. Post-IPL, we might see the rise of Fleming the coach in the international arena. Strength Batting. The middle-order in particular is really strong with Raina, Dhoni, S Badrinath, Flintoff and Albie Morkel. And discount Matthew Hayden, who hit a frenetic 35-ball 65 in the warm-up game, at your peril. He is fit and will have a point to prove after his tame exit from the international arena. Weakness Who will open with Hayden? Parthiv Patel averaged 27.45 with a strike rate of 101.68 but was not used in all games. Will they use M Vijay and is he suited for this format? And one has to wait and watch if Manpreet Gony can repeat his dream season. PREDICTION FOR 2009 Should make it to the semi-finals IPL 2008 - The key figures: Final position: Runners-up Top scorer: Raina with 421 at 38.27 Top wicket-taker: Albie Morkel: 17 wickets at 23.47 and an economy rate of 8.31 and Manpreet Gony: 17 wickets at a higher average but an economy rate of 7.38 Best result: Nine-wicket win over Punjab Worst result: 9-wicket loss to Mumbai Highest team score: 240 for 5 v Punjab Lowest team score: 109 v Rajasthan Sriram Veera is a staff writer at Cricinfo