IPL 2010 Match 3 - DD vs. KXIP - Bulletin

Gambhir Stars In Tense Delhi Win

Delhi Daredevils 146 for 5 (Gambhir 72, Manhas 30*, Sreesanth 2-24) beat Kings XI Punjab 142 for 9 (Bopara 56, Nannes 2-12, Maharoof 2-37) by five wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Gautam Gambhir's sensible strokeplay helped Delhi clinch a tight win against Punjab.

In his first match as IPL captain, Gautam Gambhir,Dirk Nannes and timely big wickets for Farveez Maharoof that Delhi were chasing a paltry total, but Gambhir had to counter the regularly falling wickets and rising required rate to take his team home. followed up inspired moves in the field with an old-fashioned innings full of sensible strokeplay and saved a glittering batting line-up the blushes in a straightforward chase of 143 on a flat pitch. It was thanks to disconcerting bowling from

Sreesanth, who somehow nudged and edged nine runs in the final over to give himself something to bowl at, made the most of the extra few runs at Kings XI Punjab's disposal. He swung the ball beautifully, taking out Virender Sehwag and Tillakaratne Dilshan in his first over, and gave away just 15 in his first spell of three overs.

While sizeable contributions from the other end didn't arrive, Gambhir was not going to contribute to Punjab's cause. He ran hard, hit only one shot in the air before the six in the 19th over, never let the required rate reach unmanageable proportions, and got out with only three runs required. The main feature of the innings was the cut shot: the bat face opened at just the right time, at just the right angle, playing around with the point and third-man fieldsmen.

From 10 for 2 he took Delhi to 45 for 3 with AB de Villiers for company, and to 79 for 4 with Dinesh Karthik. By the time Karthik fell, Gambhir had paced himself to 37 off 34, but 64 required off 46 was just about entering the tricky territory. In the next over, though, Gambhir took 15 runs off five Ramesh Powar deliveries to turn the game Delhi's way. Nine of those came off shots either side of deep point.

Match Meter DD Seamers rock Punjab top order:first six overs. Maharoof took out Kumar Sangakkara and Yuvraj Singh in the same over. Dirk Nannes was fast, Farveez Maharoof was there to capitalise on the pressure exerted, and between them they consigned Kings XI Punjab to a poor start in the DD KP Experienced stars lead recovery:between the seventh and 14th overs, setting Punjab up for a possible late assault that would give them a defendable total. Ravi Bopara and Irfan Pathan batted with responsibility, adding 60 runs for the fifth wicket DD A major setback: With Irfan's wicket in the 14th over, and regular wickets thereafter, Punjab's hopes for a late charge went down the drain, and only 38 more runs were added. DD KP Delhi strike back: Sreesanth started the defence of the modest total by taking out Virender Sehwag and Tillakaratne Dilshan in the second over of the chase. AB de Villiers' run-out soon after brought Punjab right back DD The captain's sensible hand:upto the last over. His partnerships of 34 and 61 with Dinesh Karthik and Mithun Manhas were the key. Gautam Gambhir took the responsibility and saw his team through with a near-chanceless innings of 76, batting Advantage Honours even

A two-run 17th over by Yuvraj Singh gave Punjab an outside chance, with 26 required off the last three, but when Irfan Pathan dropped Mithun Manhas in the 19th over, it was all over for Punjab. That Gambhir batted through the innings meant he ran up and down the pitch 71 times. A cramping Gambhir towards the end wasn't what Delhi would have envisaged after a commendable fielding effort.

Nannes was too quick, Maharoof too opportunistic, and Delhi's fielders too alert for Ravi Bopara's 48-ball 56. Regular wickets punctuated Punjab's innings. Nannes went for just 12 runs in his four overs, and Maharoof claimed the big scalps of Kumar Sangakkara and Yuvraj Singh.

Bopara got support from Irfan - out of India's preliminary squad for World Twenty20 but fit enough to start for Punjab - during a 60-run fifth-wicket partnership, but they would have always felt it not enough.

Sharp fielding, Nannes' awkward bounce, and Maharoof's capitalising on the pressure left the lower middle order with too much to do. Manhas started Punjab's slide with a direct hit to remove Manvinder Bisla. Sangakkara, Punjab's new captain, came out counterattacking, but Gambhir persisted with Maharoof despite his 18-run fourth over.

Maharoof repaid the faith by removing Sangakkara and Yuvraj in his next over, both to softish dismissals. Sangakkara flicked him straight to short fine leg, and Gambhir himself took a back-pedalling catch at mid-off to get rid of Yuvraj.

That it was the last delivery of the Powerplay could have had something to do with Yuvraj's shot selection. Mahela Jayawardene, though, edged the first delivery after the Powerplay, a straight angling delivery from Pradeep Sangwan.

Bopara and Irfan applied themselves, also enjoyed some good fortune through edged boundaries to the third-man area, but another inspired move from Gambhir started the second collapse for Punjab. Tillakaratne Dilshan was given the ball in the 14th over, and Irfan - responsible until then - jumped out of the crease and missed a straight delivery.

Mohammad Kaif was stumped to a wide flighted delivery from Amit Mishra, and Bopara hit a low full toss straight to deep square leg. At 113 for 7 in the 16th over, Nannes and Maharoof against the tail was always going to be an unfair contest.

IPL 2010 Match 2 - MI vs. RR - Bulletin

Mumbai Survive Brutal Yousuf Ton

Mumbai Indians 212 for 6 (Rayudu 55, Tiwary 53, Mascarenhas 2-34) beat Rajasthan Royals 208 for 7 (Yusuf 100, Dogra 41, Malinga 2-22) by 4 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Yusuf Pathan hauled Rajasthan close to a win, though they needed 143 off 57 at one stage

The second-fastest Twenty20 hundred, a 37-ball assault from Yusuf Pathan, as delicate as it was brutal, wasn't enough on a day in which precious little was contributed by the other Rajasthan Royals players. Despite Mumbai Indians piling on their biggest score in the IPL, it required special death bowling from Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga to deny Rajasthan 19 runs in the last two overs.

Yusuf's onslaught came after Mumbai's youngsters Ambati Rayudu, considered unlucky to have not played for India yet, and Saurabh Tiwary powered the home side to what seemed a massive total, but it turned out to be one that just about dodged the Yusuf-shaped bullet.

The it's-good-to-be-back ad campaign of the IPL could well have been meant exclusively for Yusuf. In his first innings back in India, he shook a dying match up and gave Mumbai a right scare. The Yusuf show began when Rajasthan needed 143 off 57. He scored 54 off the next 11 balls he faced, 26 other deliveries got him 46, and when he finally got out he left Rajasthan 40 to get off 17 deliveries.

Of the nine fours and eight sixes he hit in a frenetic period of play, three shots stood out - and they were not sixes. The length deliveries and full tosses were all murdered, but in the 13th over - he was 57 off 22 by then - Ryan McLaren bowled a decent enough yorker to him. Yusuf opened the face late, beautifully late, and guided it for four. The next ball was not more than a couple of inches short of being a yorker, but on the stumps, and he managed to get under it, and still hit it to long-off for four. The third yorker of the over was neither wide nor straight, in between, and he leaned back to make space and steered it even later than the one before. More brutal hits preceded a moment of inspiration for Mumbai.

Arguably the best fielder in India, R Satish, returning from ICL, followed up his direct-hit run-out and a terrific caught-and-bowled with Yusuf's dismissal. He bowled full and straight to Paras Dogra, the other batsman, then dived in his follow through to field the ball, and reverse-flicked to catch a backing-up Yusuf short.

Dogra, who had scored 18 off 20 in the 107-run stand until then, opened up in the same over, and hit two fours and two sixes to bring down the target to 19 off 12.

Zaheer and Malinga, though, with Harbhajan Singh injured and not available to bowl, performed like champs. Eleven near-yorkers from the duo in the last two overs meant even the two wides they bowled were not enough for Rajasthan.

Match Meter MI RR An action-packed beginning: Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar started off purposefully, followed by Aditya Tare's quick cameo. Rajasthan Royals, though, came back to take three wickets in three overs to reduce Mumbai Indians to 70 for 3 in 6.3 overs. MI Youngsters to the fore: Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary added 110 runs in 63 balls to help Mumbai recover from the triple-strike. Both of them lashed stroke-filled half-centuries to power Mumbai to their highest total. MI Fantastic fielding: Defending 212, Mumbai fielders and bowlers were on the top of their games, never letting Rajasthan even think of an improbable win. After 10 overs, Rajasthan were 69 for 4. RR Yusuf goes berserk: Yusuf Pathan unleashed an assault, as delicate as it was brutal, hitting nine fours and eight-sixes in a 37-ball hundred. From needing 143 off 57, Yusuf brought them down to needing 40 off 17. MI Mumbai hold nerve: R Sathish came up with a superb bowling-and-fielding effort to get rid of Yusuf, and Lasith Malinga and Zaheer Khan bowled two yorker-filled overs to deny Rajasthan 19 runs in the last two overs. Advantage Honours even

It was fitting for Mumbai that Indian cricketers helped them come back at crucial times: they had become the first team in the three seasons of IPL to play with only three overseas players. Kapil Dev and friends could afford a wee smile too. Rayudu, Sathish and Ali Murtaza - who took a wicket with his first ball - are all returning from the ICL.

Rayudu and Tiwary added 110 runs in 63 balls to help Mumbai Indians recover from a triple-strike in the first third of the innings. Shane Warne didn't have to wait too long to find out if Tendulkar "will open and face [Shaun] Tait", with Tendulkar walking out to open with Sanath Jayasuriya.

Jayasuriya took apart Dimitri Mascarenhas, and Tendulkar did the honours for Tait, taking 10 runs from the four balls that Tait bowled to him. Mascarenhas hit back with two wickets in one over, and at 70 for 3 in 6.3 overs, the onus was on the Indian batsmen.

Rayudu immediately showed glimpses of what made observers talk of him as a potential international. He wristily flicked the first ball he faced for four, lest anybody forget he's from Hyderabad.

It was just as well that Tendulkar didn't survive long enough to give the viewers the much-awaited contest against Warne: the latter was off colour, going for 29 runs in three overs. There was no turn for Warne, and he bowled too many half-volleys. Tiwary took full toll, and hit him down the ground for two fours and a six. By the time Warne took himself off, Mumbai had reached 121 in 12 overs. Tiwary had reached 26, and Rayudu 23, off 17 balls each.

Part-time offbreaks from Abhishek Jhunjhunwala and Yusuf went for full-time hitting. Rayudu hit three successive Jhunjhunwala deliveries for a huge six and fours either side of long-on. When he next smacked a six off Yusuf, he had reached 53 off just 30 deliveries, and Mumbai had rocketed to 166 in 16.3.

Tiwary reached his fifty by hitting Amit Uniyal, whose change-up delivery was the quicker one, to the long-on boundary. In fact it was all clean hitting down the ground from the two: out of the 108 they scored between them, only 16 came behind square.

Rayudu and Tiwary didn't see the innings to the close, but Harbhajan Singh and Ryan McLaren contributed to Tait's horror day, taking 22 off his last two overs. Each one of those runs mattered in the end.

IPL 2010 Match 1 - KKR vs. DC - Bulletin

Mathews, Shah Set Up Kplkata Win

Kolkata Knight Riders 161 for 4 (Mathews 65*, Shah 58*, Vaas 2-22) beat Deccan Chargers 150 for 7 (Gilchrist 54, Langeveldt 2-26) by 11 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Andrew Symonds and several other Deccan batsmen got out to poor shots

Kolkata Knight Riders showed more character than perhaps the first two seasons put together to survive early blows by veterans Chaminda Vaas and Adam Gilchrist at the start of each innings. First Angelo Mathews and Owais Shah added 130 runs from 31 for 4 to put up a fighting total. Their effort was going in vain with Gilchrist rushing towards the target, but their bowlers picked up their game to take regular wickets and allow Deccan Chargers only 51 runs in the last nine overs. Kolkata scored 58 in their last four.

It was as much Deccan throwing it away as Kolkata pulling it back. Gilchrist, who had been dropped twice on his way to fifty, started the turnaround by pulling Brad Hodge straight to deep square leg. In the next over Herschelle Gibbs holed out to long-off. Two overs later Andrew Symonds went to slog the first delivery he faced from Ishant Sharma and top-edged. Two more overs later Rohit Sharma was fooled by a Mathews slower bouncer, and 99 for 1 had become 128 for 5. All that with the required run-rate never going too much past eight per over.

Kolkata were there to accept the gifts with aggressive field placings and good bowling changes. If bowling Hodge was an inspired move, return spells for Karthik, Langeveldt and Ishant were positive decisions by a captain who knew only wickets could win him the match. The diving saves returned, Ganguly looked charged and Kolkata somehow looked like the team that was going to win even with the required rate reaching the improbable only in the last over.

Match Meter DC Chaminda Vaas began the third season by swinging it like it was the nineties. The first ball got Manoj Tiwary, and Sourav Ganguly edged another swinging delivery three balls later. Nought for 2 DC IPL debutant Cheteshwar Pujara and the most prolific Twenty20 batsman refused to get bogged down, and went after loose deliveries, before Hodge followed Pujara. Kolkata were 31 for 4 after 5.1 overs DC KKR Angelo Mathews and Owais Shah took their time, and brought out the big hits towards the end. Both scored fifties, spoiled figures of all the bowlers, and took 58 runs of the last four overs. Kolkata made 161 DC Adam Gilchrist came out swinging, hitting everything hittable. Three sixes, three fours, two dropped catches, and Gilchrist reached 54 off 34, taking Deccan to 99 for 1 in 11 overs KKR The choke started in the 12th over, with Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Symonds and Rohit Sharma throwing their wickets away. Only 51 runs came in the last nine overs, and the champions lost to the wooden spoons Advantage Honours even

Thirty-four off 22 balls with only Indian domestic batsmen and the tail to follow was always going to be a tight finish, and Mathews, Laxmi Shukla, Langeveldt and Ishant completed the choke for Deccan with a good mix of yorkers, bouncers and slower ones.

If they had a target that wasn't blown away by the Gilchrist start, it was only thanks to Mathews himself and Shah. Vaas had dutifully adopted the essence of the previous IPL - first-ball wickets, and gone on to make it a double-wicket maiden. A double-strike followed soon, and memories of Kolkata's horror 2009 came rushing back. Mathews and Shah, however, averted a one-sided start to the tournament with a partnership that seamlessly went from sensible to sizzling.

One cute paddle over fine leg excepting, Mathews employed strong hitting down the ground. Shah, on the other hand, employed the pick-up shot, almost a sweep of the fast bowlers, to good effect, hitting Symonds, Vaas and Jaskaran for sixes.

The tournament began with the class of Vaas. He started on target, swinging the ball late, and Manoj Tiwary fell over playing the first ball, and lobbed it straight to midwicket. Captain Sourav Ganguly edged to first slip in that double-wicket maiden, and Cheteshwar Pujara and Brad Hodge too departed after a 31-run stand.

Pragyan Ojha and Symonds initially managed to keep Mathews and Shah in check. In eight overs between them, their accurate and smart mid-innings bowling went for 45 runs despite expensive last overs that went for 21.

That was just the momentum the stumbling innings needed, taking Kolkata to 103 for 4 after 16 overs. During that period, Mathews had moved from starting with a top-edged six to attacking youngster Jaskaran Singh in a calculated manner.

Shah, who had been quiet until then, went after the returning Vaas, hitting him for a six and four. Mathews followed it up and launched his countryman over long-off, and 2-1-4-2 became 3-1-22-2.

With the score reading 121 for 4 after 17 overs, Gilchrist made two bold moves. T Suman bowled the 18th over, and was punished by Mathews, who reached his fifty in that over. He carried the momentum into the 19th over, hurting RP Singh too with straight, powerful hitting. Jaskaran, preferred to Vaas for the last over, bowled three yorkers and a good slower delivery, but still went for 10. It left the Kolkata bowlers with a target to bowl at.

The up-and-down match, with at least four swings in fortunes, and featuring good old-fashioned swing bowling, orthodox and unorthodox hitting, was a much-needed and much-denied relief from a rather unwatchable opening ceremony - featuring faded stars and a fading tribute band - that delayed the toss by 27 minutes.

Preview - Kings XI Punjab

Punjab plagued by fitness worries

Brett Lee and Irfan Pathan are doubtful starters for the opening games

One of the major concerns for Kings XI Punjab ahead of the third season of the IPL is a long injury list. The IPL begins on March 12 and Punjab play their first two games on March 13 and 16, but they are likely to field XIs that may not include a few first-choice players. Sample the injury concerns: Shaun Marsh, Punjab's success story of 2008, looks unlikely to be fit for the start. Their most expensive overseas player, fast bowler Brett Lee, is also beset with fitness problems. Irfan Pathan seems likely to miss the first few matches and Yuvraj Singh, Punjab's highest run scorer in 2009, has only recently begun batting after his latest injury. It is hardly an enviable position for their new captain Kumar Sangakkara, and key to Punjab even nearing the semi-finals this year will be having the entire squad fit and available for the tournament.

Punjab were one of the best teams in the inaugural IPL, cruising into the semi-finals, but had a tough time in the second season, affected by the injuries to fast bowlers Sreesanth and Jerome Taylor, and the unavailability of Australian players for much of the competition. Punjab's Indian bowlers had done the trick in 2008 but found it tough in South Africa the following season, and their team could suffer if that is the case as the bandwagon moves back to India.

The buzz

Lalit Modi, the league's commissioner, and Yuvraj have been busy providing updates on Twitter. Modi had assured that Ravi Bopara and Lee would tour, despite the security concerns, while Yuvraj kept his followers informed about his fitness.

New faces

Punjab have signed up four domestic players - the medium-pacers Love Ablish and Shalabh Srivastava, batsman Manvinder Bisla and allrounder Reetinder Sodhi. Sodhi, who played 18 ODIs for India, and Srivastava, a left-arm pacer, were recently admitted back into the domestic fold after they severed ties with the unofficial ICL. Ablish, who plays for Punjab on the domestic circuit, was the third highest wicket-taker in this season's Ranji Trophy Super League. Bisla, the Haryana-born wicketkeeper who plays for Jammu & Kashmir, was part of IPL champions Deccan Chargers' squad in 2009. Mohammad Kaif, the only Indian up for auction this year, went unsold in the first round of bidding but was later signed up by Punjab for $250,000.

Watch out for

With so many key players not certain to play, No's 3 and 4, the Sri Lankan pair of Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, will assume plenty of significance. Sangakkara was the team's second highest run-scorer in South Africa with 332 runs at 30.18, with two half-centuries, while Jayawardene proved of immense value in a couple of extremely tight chases. Jayawardene doesn't seem a Twenty20 prototype but can clear the boundary with wristy elegance. In the domestic Twenty20 tournament at home, he opened the batting for Wayamba and even scored 91 off 49 balls in the final. Sangakkara has of late evolved into a fabulous Twenty20 player. This pair will be expected to shoulder much of the batting in 2010.

Missing in action

Marsh, Punjab's standout performer in the first IPL season, became the latest worry after he was ruled out of Australia's ODIs against New Zealand due to a back problem. Lee has arrived in India and has been bowling brief spells in the nets and a final call will be taken on March 11. Pathan, who missed the one-day Vijay Hazare Trophy due to a back strain, expects to recover in time to play but he may miss a few of Punjab's initial matches. Yuvraj is confident of being fit by the second match at the latest.

X factor

Punjab, especially given Pathan's fitness concern, desperately need an allrounder to be counted and primed for that scenario is Sodhi. Once tipped - like many other ill-fated domestic players who could bat and bowl a bit - as India's answer to the massive void left by Kapil Dev's retirement, Sodhi never made the grade and until last year was plying his trade in the unofficial ICL. But now that he's back in the fold after severing ties with the IPL, Sodhi has a contract with Punjab and should get an opportunity to show what he's got left in the tank. He's only 29 and a handy Twenty20 player, so this could yet be a defining chapter in the story of another talent gone astray.

Strength

Spin. Piyush Chawla did very well in the first IPL, prompting Sangakkara to hail him as one to watch out for, and Ramesh Powar is also a handy bowler to have in the squad. Chawla was less successful in South Africa, taking just 12 wickets, but wasn't a bowler that opposing teams could take for easy runs. Back in familiar conditions, he will be a real focal point for Punjab. Powar has moved far behind Chawla in the list of India hopefuls, but should be confident of decent playing opportunities. One of the few offspinners who still rely on a lack of pace to fox batsmen in today's game, Powar can be a treat to watch in limited-overs cricket when on top of his game. Both spinners are useful lower-order batsmen.

Weakness

Besides fitness issues, the lack of quality in the Indian batting back-up for Yuvraj is another of Punjab's drawbacks, which makes it vital that Pathan recovers from the back injury that has kept him out of the preliminary squad of the ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean. Top-order domestic players like Karan Goel and Tanmay Srivastava need to make an impact if Punjab are to become a genuine title contender.

IPL 2009 - the key figures:

Final position: Fifth place
Top scorer: Yuvraj Singh with 340 runs at 36.50
Top wicket-taker: Irfan Pathan with 17 wickets at 22.94 and economy rate of 7.74
Best result: Seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore
Worst result: Ten-wicket loss to Delhi
Highest team score: 158 v Kolkata Knight Riders
Lowest team score: 104 for 7 v Delhi

Prediction for 2010

It depends on which Punjab turns up. Playing at home will help but they need their bowlers firing to trouble the big teams. In 2009 they fought bravely in close encounters but there's a feeling that Punjab lack the killer punch needed to floor the heavyweights. The odds are stacked against Punjab reaching the semi-finals.

Preview - Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan back in familiar territory

Home grown: Key to Rajasthan's fortunes are how well their domestic players, such as Swapnil Asnodkar, perform

No other team will be as thankful for the IPL's return to India as Rajasthan Royals. Back on flat pitches and facing low bounce, the likes of Yusuf Pathan and Swapnil Asnodkar become major weapons again. Then there are the Shanes, Warne for the entire season, and Watson for the later half. Also there is the home crowd that took to this Cinderella XI in the inaugural season. For a while now, Warne has been talking about how the inaugural IPL was the best cricketing time of his life, and how the home support was "amazing".

From March 13 onwards they will be in familiar territory: in India, and underdogs after their lukewarm performance in South Africa. And once again they will want considerable contribution from their Indian players, the cornerstone of their success in 2008. Yusuf, Asnodkar, Munaf Patel, Naman Ojha, Kamran Khan and Siddharth Trivedi - none of them is a superstar, none of them assured of a place in the Indian Twenty20 side. But under Warne, and with the likes of Graeme Smith, Watson, Morne Morkel, and Shaun Tait, they could well form a winning combination again.

The buzz

Warne's Twitter page has been abuzz. Hardly a day passes when he doesn't talk about longing for action or say "Go Royals". Damien Martyn, a new recruit, has started sledging him about baked beans. Despite Shilpa Shetty's presence, it's all about Warne there. The fingers are working well on Twitter, but how well is the wrist going with the ball after nearly a year of no competitive cricket?

New faces

Tait, Martyn and Englishman Michael Lumb have almost been handpicked by Warne. Tait has been in red-hot bowling form, but true to Rajasthan fashion, the other two come without many expectations of them. Delhi's Sumit Narwal and Bengal's Abhishek Jhunjhunwala are the domestic acquisitions. Of course, there are unknown faces who are not even big names in domestic cricket.

Watch out for

Graeme Smith played the anchor role to Watson's pyrotechnics in the first season, and was a failure in the second. In 2010, though, Rajasthan will look to him to come back to form, and more importantly be the lead batsman in Watson's absence for the first half of the season.

Missing in action

Ravindra Jadeja apparently tried to negotiate his own price after his contract ended, and is paying the price by sitting out the whole of the third season. "It's a shame re Jadeja not being part of the royals at IPL 3.. He is a good player for us. We will miss him!!! Shame," tweeted Warne.

X factor

Yusuf Pathan can turn matches around quickly. He will be back as one of the main batsmen of the team, as opposed to not quite being sure of his role in the Indian team. Don't count out a repeat of the first IPL.

Strength

The ability to surprise oppositions, and having two to three solid performers as fallback. Be it Yusuf opening the bowling, be it Asnodkar going bang bang at the top, be it somebody like Kamran with the ball, there is always a Warne to take care if the bowling goes wrong, or a Smith or Watson to control the batting. So Rajasthan, what's new this time?

Weakness

The batting looks thin till the time Watson joins the team. Yusuf and Asnodkar can be a bit of a lottery, and it would be one pleasant shock if Martyn, at 38, can come and make an impact in their middle order.

Prediction for 2010

Semi-finals, and then who knows?

IPL 2009 - the key figures:

Final position: sixth
Top scorer: Ravindra Jadeja with 295 runs at 26.81 and strike-rate of 110.9
Top wicket-taker: Munaf Patel with 16 wickets at 15.06 and economy-rate of 6.91
Best result: seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore
Worst result: 75-run defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore
Highest team score: 211 v Kings XI Punjab
Lowest team score: 58 v Royal Challengers Bangalore

Preview - Kolkata Knight Riders

Knight vision still blurry

If Kolkata are to make a dramatic turnaround, they will need a few of Chris Gayle's specials

Fake IPL player, multiple captains, doping charges, a sacked coach, perhaps the ugliest uniform (only to be beaten by an even uglier one this year), floodlight failures at Eden Gardens, parties, Bollywood glitz and Shah Rukh Khan. Everything about Kolkata Knight Riders suggests the prototype modern, media-feeding, headline-churning, eyeballs-grabbing team. Except for the success-rate, the worst among the eight teams over two years. In the last season before next year's draft, Kolkata need a strong performance to do away with the caricature image they have acquired.

They have corrected some of the mistakes from the disastrous 2009 season. For starters, they have named one captain - Sourav Ganguly - for the season. In Dav Whatmore they have a coach who has a way with underdog teams. In Chris Gayle they have one of the most explosive openers going around, and this time he should be available for almost the entire season. In Brad Hodge they have the highest run-getter in Twenty20s, in Shane Bond one of the fastest bowlers around, in Charl Langeveldt one of the best during the death, in Ajantha Mendis a freakish spinner who could come good in Twenty20 any time and, in the later half of the season, they have Brendon McCullum. And in Wasim Akram they have a bowling coach capable of bringing out the best in the likes of Bond, Langeveldt and Ishant Sharma.

The international players, though, have not been their major worry. Kolkata's biggest failure has been their inability to get sizeable contributions out of the non-international Indians. Therein lies the biggest test for Sourav Ganguly and Whatmore.

The buzz

Kolkata's hype-creating machinery has been taking it easy this time: fewer advertisements, fewer pictures with Shah Rukh Khan, no controversy over team leadership, no fake IPL player in action either, though his book launches the day before the tournament begins. However, something time-honoured had to be done. Thus arrived the purple-and-gold, tight-fitting team jersey, sponsored by a manufacturing firm whose owners are linked with a controversial murder case.

New faces

Bond was their big buy at the auction and, unlike McCullum who will be playing Tests against Australia, Bond should miss a maximum of two IPL matches. Manoj Tiwary, a prolific Bengal batsman, has been traded in from Delhi, as has Owais Shah, who replaces Moises Henriques. They have also gone for an almost complete overhaul of the domestic players in the team.

Watch out for

Chris Gayle missed the first season completely, and had to leave the second midway for a series not many were interested in. He might miss a game or two this season - West Indies' ODI series against Zimbabwe finishes the day the IPL starts - but he will be itching to make a mark in the matches he plays. If Kolkata are to make a dramatic turnaround, they will need a few of Gayle's specials, the kinds that win matches single-handedly.

Missing in action

McCullum will not be available in March. New Zealand's Test series against Australia ends on March 31, following which he is expected to flown in business class on the first flight India-bound.

X-factor

Angelo Mathews has proved to a useful allrounder for Sri Lanka, and he contributes in every department: batting, bowling, and fielding.

	Kolkata's biggest failure has been their inability to get sizeable contributions out of the non-international Indians

Strength

The top order: Gayle, Ganguly, Hodge, with the promise of McCullum.

Weakness

The Indian players. It will be the seven Indian players - the likes of Ishant Sharma, Ajit Agarkar, Manoj Tiwary, and the lesser-known ones - that will make the ultimate difference. Kolkata will need a matchwinner from two out of the seven local players - a performer like Swapnil Asnodkar, Yusuf Pathan or Pragyan Ojha is just what they need.

IPL 2009 - the key figures

Final position: last

Top scorer: Brad Hodge with 365 runs at 40.55 and strike-rate of 117.74

Top wicket-taker: Ishant Sharma with 11 wickets at 27 and economy-rate of 6.9

Best result: Seven-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings

Worst result: Eight-wicket defeat to Deccan Chargers

Highest team score: 189 v Chennai

Lowest team score: 95 v Mumbai Indians

Prediction for 2010

Deccan Chargers' title triumph last year, after finishing bottom in the first season, gave heart to Kolkata fans but that is probably in the realms of fantasy. A safe bet for Kolkata is a finish in the bottom half.

Preview - Mumbai Indians

In-form stars boost Mumbai hopes

Sachin Tendulkar is yet to hit it big in the Twenty20 format

They are owned by the richest Indian in the world. They are led by the best cricketer of this generation. They have one of the best fast bowlers in their ranks. But Mumbai Indians, despite their high profile, failed to reach the knockout phase in the IPL's two editions thus far.

An array of reasons can be cited behind for their struggle: In the first season, Mumbai did well to hold together after the Harbhajan Singh slapping incident. But what hurt them the most was the absence of Sachin Tendulkar from the first half of the tournament due to injury. There was also plenty of chopping and changing of the line-ups, and the inexperience of the domestic players was apparent on more than one occasion despite Tendulkar and Shaun Pollock's best efforts to inspire the team through their leadership.

In 2009, Zaheer Khan was bought from Royal Challengers Bangalore, adding strength to the bowling department. Zaheer also filled the spot vacated by Pollock, who took up the role of mentor. Jonty Rhodes added vitality to the training sessions with his agility and reflexes. JP Duminy was signed up for a whopping US$950,000 after his heroics in Australia, but, on home soil, was unable to finish off games or give that final thrust to innings when left on his own. It did not help that Zaheer injured himself in the field midway through the tournament, and Sanath Jayasuriya failed to provide the usual fireworks in the beginning. Mumbai ended on the second rung from the bottom.

But things look more positive the third time around. Tendulkar is in tremendous form with the bat and even if he is yet not a formidable batsman in Twenty20 cricket, the defining innings doesn't seem far. Mumbai's middle order is bolstered by the presence of the Trinidad pair of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, both supremely athletic allrounders having the ability to win games on their own. Zaheer is currently among the most consistent fast bowlers and if he is well backed-up by Lasith Malinga, with Jayasuriya firing at the top with Tendulkar, Mumbai can bounce back.

The buzz

The blue on the jersey has been shaded to a darker tone. The inspiration behind the new design was the state-of-the-art Bandra-Worli sea-link, which connects the northern suburbs to south of Mumbai. The idea was to create a design that would not only be new, but also resemble the enterprise and growth of Mumbai - the golden stripes across the bust of the shirt depicts the two pillars of the sea-link and the blue is the shade of the Arabian sea. The team has also found support from sponsors, whose count has increased to 14, five more than last year.

Another first is the sale of wrist bands in the Mumbai colours, autographed by Tendulkar, the proceeds of which will be passed over to provide education for underprivileged kids supported by five NGOs.

New faces

Mumbai stamped their authority as the richest franchise in the League, bagging Kieron Pollard in the silent tie-breaker for an undisclosed sum, rumoured to be as high as that of the richest players in the IPL. Robin Singh leads a new coaching set-up, with Paras Mhambrey as his deputy. The pair did not waste time in picking few of the best players from the unofficial Indian Cricket League - Ambati Rayudu and R Sateesh, Rahul Shukla, Ishan Malhotra, Ali Murtaza, and Aditya Tare have been fast-tracked into the primary squad.

	Kieron Pollard's success in the Champions League has taken him a long way

Watch out for

Sachin Tendulkar. He is in stupendous form and will be hungry to prove his worth in a format he hasn't dominated.

Missing in action

The Caribbean pair of Bravo and Pollard would be absent in the opener against Rajasthan Royals, for they will be wrapping up the ODI series against Zimbabwe, which ends on March 14.

X-factor

Pollard can provide the firepower lower down the order, something Mumbai expected from Duminy last year

Strength

A formidable batting order: Tendulkar, Jayasuriya, Shikar Dhawan, Bravo, Pollard and Abhishek Nayar.

Weakness

Barring Zaheer , the rest of the fast bowling department, including Malinga, have been inconsistent. But Zaheer, who has been the Indian bowling captain for the last two years, has the ability to hold the attack together, and along with Harbhajan in the middle overs, can lead the rest of the pack in the right direction.

IPL 2009 - the key figures

Final position: Seventh

Top scorer: JP Duminy with 372 runs at 41.33 and strike-rate of 114.46

Top wicket-taker: Lasith Malinga with 18 wickets at 17.33 and economy-rate of 6.33

Best result: Eight-wicket win over Punjab

Worst result: Nine-wicket defeat to Bangalore

Highest team score: 187 for 6 v Kolkata

Lowest team score: 116 v Delhi

Prediction for 2010

Mumbai have the ability to make the semi-finals, but a return to the spot they ended at in 2008 is more realistic.

Preview - Royal Challengers Bangalore

Bangalore bank on batsmen and India contingent

The innovative Eoin Morgan will be one to watch in Bangalore's middle order

In the second season, they muddled through the first half of the competition before a late surge under Anil Kumble's captaincy lifted them to the finals.

Going into this IPL season, Bangalore have two clear advantages over their start to the campaign in South Africa: first, in Kumble they have a fixed leader for the entire tournament, unlike the uncertainty surrounding who would take over once Kevin Pietersen left after a handful of matches in 2009.

Second, and perhaps more significantly, their Indian contingent looks much more formidable this season - the Karnataka trio of Manish Pandey, Abhimanyu Mithun and R Vinay Kumar have all had excellent domestic seasons while Sreevats Goswami, the Bengal wicketkeeper-batsman, topped the run-charts in the recent Vijay Hazare tournament with 568 runs in seven innings. With Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Praveen Kumar, Virat Kolhi and Robin Uthappa likely to play most games, Bangalore won't be forced to field any makeweight Indian players in the XI unlike in previous seasons.

Coach Ray Jennings said the key to success in the tournament was to have a committed and motivated group of players. "To be the finalists in South Africa is an achievement but that's forgotten, we need to set new goals," he said. "It's a type of game in which the best side doesn't always win, so you have to make sure that you are aggressive, and be very passionate when you play."

New faces

Bangalore may not have splashed money on big names, but they have made two shrewd overseas buys. One is Ireland-born batsman Eoin Morgan who, with his inventive, made-for-Twenty20 strokeplay, looks a steal at US$220,000 after an assured first year as England's limited-overs finisher. The other is allrounder Steven Smith, who has made his name in Twenty20s with three solid seasons for New South Wales in the Big Bash and was key to their 2009 Champions League victory. Bangalore are a bit light on allrounders, which is where this legspinner and hard-hitting batsman comes in. His athletic fielding will also prove handy.

Watch out for

Vijay Mallya paid big money two years ago for Cameron White, when the batsman was still a relative unknown. White has had an indifferent couple of seasons with Bangalore, but is entering this tournament on the back of one of his most fruitful periods with Australia. In the absence of Kevin Pietersen and Ross Taylor in the initial stages, White could be the man to keep the boundary-count soaring for Bangalore.

Missing in action

Jesse Ryder is out of the entire tournament with an injury. Bangalore will miss not only his hard-hitting batting but also his disciplined medium-pace bowling and athletic fielding. Pietersen will join the squad only in late March and Taylor will be occupied with the series against Australia till the end of the month.

Strength

The batting. Even in their forgettable Champions League campaign, Bangalore's batsmen delivered in three of the four matches.

Weakness

The bowling. Dale Steyn isn't as feared in Twenty20 as he is in Tests, Anil Kumble hasn't played regular cricket for a long time, and the other bowling options aren't names that batsmen will lose sleep over. On benign Indian tracks, the opposition should fancy running up big scores.

X-Factor

A virtually unknown Manish Pandey became famous after slamming a century against Deccan Chargers last year. He has followed that up with a superb Ranji Trophy season, topping the run-charts with 882 runs.

IPL 2009 - The key figures

Final position: Runners-up
Top scorer: Jacques Kallis with 361 runs at 27.76
Top wicket-taker: Kumble with 21 wickets at 16.52 and economy-rate of 5.86
Best result: Seven-wicket win over in-form Delhi Daredevils to stay in race for semi-finals
Worst result: 92-run loss to Chennai Super Kings in their second match
Highest team score: 176 for 4 v Kolkata
Lowest team score: 87 v Chennai

Prediction for 2010

Expect them to make the semi-finals.

Preview - Chennai Super Kings

Injury-hit Chennai face tougher IPL

Muttiah Muralitharan's bowling form could be the key to Chennai's success

They are the IPL's 'nearly men', coming close to the summit in the first and second season, only to falter in the knock-out stages. However, Chennai Super Kings will begin the 2010 tournament on the back foot. Two key allrounders, Andrew Flintoff and Jacob Oram, are missing in action because of injury, though Oram may play later in the season. Two other overseas players, Muttiah Muralitharan and Makhaya Ntini, are on the wane and that puts a lot of pressure on the captain MS Dhoni.

Flintoff's absence ought to have led to a big signing at the 2010 player auction but there were no major purchases. They bid aggressively for Kieron Pollard, Shane Bond and Kemar Roach, and also tried for Eoin Morgan, but lost all of them to other franchises. They ultimately settled for South African allrounder and ICL returnee Justin Kemp and Sri Lankan allrounder Thissaara Perera. With no apparent world-beaters in the bowling department, Chennai will bank on their batsmen to carry them through again.

The buzz

Unlike teams such as Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, Chennai's build-up has been relatively low profile and they prefer it that way. Last month, they announced a five-year deal with a merchandising company to reach out to the fans. In fact, the team has been rated as the "most valuable" in this year's IPL with a brand value of $48.4 million, according to a study conducted by the UK-based Brand Finance.

On the cricketing front, the team began training on March 8, now with the arrival of coach Stephen Fleming. With South Zone out of the Deodhar Trophy, the local players will be available for the training camp.

New faces

Perera, a left-hand batsman who bowls nippy right-arm medium pace, recently won a match for Sri Lanka against India in a tri-series in Bangladesh. The IPL scouts were taking notes. Kemp and Albie Morkel will compete to fill the void left by Flintoff and Jacob Oram.

Missing in action

The high-profile Flintoff unfortunately hit his umpteenth injury crisis and will be out of competitive cricket till July. The team was further jolted by news that Oram will be out of action for a month due to a patella tendon tear. There's speculation that he too may miss the entire tournament. VB Chandrasekar, the team's director of cricketing operations, said contingency plans for Oram would be discussed in the coming days. Michael Hussey has Australia commitments till the end of this month, by which time the tournament's first fortnight would have ended.

Watch out for

If Hayden fails, there's always Dhoni to back Chennai up. The captain is in great touch. Re-run the tapes of India's recent home series to see why.

Strength

Undoubtedly the batting. Hayden, Suresh Raina and Dhoni were Chennai's top three run-getters last year, giving the team good starts. They will be a handful to contain on Indian pitches.

Weaknesses

The lower order hasn't been tested enough - the flipside of having a power-packed top order. Muralitharan has struggled for form with Sri Lanka but he will be expected to carry this attack.

X Factor

Ignored by his country due to recent indifferent form, fuelled by mass speculation of imminent retirement, Ntini will use this IPL as a platform to show that he still belongs. Unlike Matthew Hayden, his selection isn't guaranteed but Chennai will need his experience to shore up the bowling attack.

IPL 2009 - the key figures

Final position: Semi-finalists
Top-scorer: Hayden with 572 runs at 52.00
Top wicket-taker: Muralitharan with 14 wickets at 18.64
Best result: 92-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore
Worst result: Six-wicket defeat in the semis to Bangalore
Highest team score: 188 for 3 v Kolkata Knight Riders
Lowest team score: 129 v Bangalore

Prediction for 2010

May find it difficult to make the final four

Preview - Delhi Daredevils

Delhi hope to get third time lucky

Delhi have many explosive batsmen, but keep an eye on Dinesh Karthik

Delhi Daredevils enter the third IPL with the same label as they did the past two - as the team to beat. That is, however, until they reach the semi-finals. Two seasons, two semi-final games, two poor performances. The Delhi juggernaut is a formidable one at normal times, but when the stakes get higher, they have failed to bring out a facet that is only the preserve of champions. Simply put, in two semi-finals they failed to lift their game to an even higher level.

Boasting the best batting order of the tournament, a very reliable wicketkeeper-batsman, the best Twenty20 spinner with an economical Indian ally, and an enviable new-ball attack, Delhi have everything going for them three days before the IPL starts. If Virender Sehwag and David Warner provide sheer belligerence with the bat, Tillakaratne Dilshan and AB de Villiers bring a mix of calculated big-hitting and superb running between the wickets. Gautam Gambhir can score at a clip without being half as audacious as these four names, while Dinesh Karthik holds up an unassuming lower middle order with his brand of Twenty20 batting.

Dirk Nannes and Ashish Nehra proved a highly successful pair in South Africa and later in the Champions League Twenty20 in India and are fitting prelude to what follows. Daniel Vettori, when he links up with the team in the second half of the tournament, brings talent and experience and Rajat Bhatia, Pradeep Sangwan and Aavishkar Salvi are more than capable medium-pace options.

The buzz

The pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla, which was severely criticised following the abandonment of the India-Sri Lanka ODI on December 27, has passed the scrutiny of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, chairman of the IPL cricket committee. However, the surface remains an unknown quantity after it first came under scrutiny during the Champions League Twenty20 in October when the pitch was slow and offered uneven bounce. The venue has been banned from hosting internationals for 12 month but IPL games have been passed.

Last week Delhi signed up Eric Simons, India's bowling coach for the home series against South Africa, as an assistant coach. Simons, who will assist Greg Shipperd, fills the position left vacant by Australia's David Saker, and will focus on working with the large bunch of young bowlers in the Delhi squad.

New faces

Delhi jumped at Wayne Parnell in this year's auction and netted the young fast bowler for $610,000. That amount surprised Parnell, and has increased the pressure on him. Parnell fills the slot left vacant after Delhi bought out the contract of Glenn McGrath. The other acquisition is the New South Wales allrounder Moises Henriques, who was transferred from Kolkata Knight Riders, the former India offspinner Sarandep Singh, and the Punjab legspinner Sarabjit Ladda. These three are unlikely to see much playing time given the overseas player cap and Amit Mishra's success as the prime spinner.

Watch out for

David Warner has been in brutal touch against New Zealand and West Indies during Australia's successful summer, and his accomplishments for NSW during the Champions League Twenty20 in India last year prove he likes the conditions. Warner is wicked when at his left-handed best but also likes to change it up every now and then. Tellingly, Warner does not want to abandon the switch-hit, which he believes gives him the advantage of being able to hit with the turn regardless of whether an offspinner or a legspinner is operating.

Missing in action

Daniel Vettori will not be available until the end of New Zealand's Test series against Australia ends on March 31, but franchises have a 48-hour window to name a swap so expect them to usher him back. Apart from that, each of their first-choice players is available for the entire tournament.

X factor

Dinesh Karthik. After a very powerful top five, Karthik settles into the middle order as a major asset for Delhi. A very skilled limited-overs player, Karthik is an asset in Twenty20 because of his ability to hit a long ball and lead a recovery at a brisk pace from down the order. He has never looked bogged down in Twenty20 and has most always been able to find the gaps even when wickets have been lost. Certain to play all Delhi's matches due to his role as wicketkeeper, this is one player the opposition may happen to overlook because of the far more accomplished names the squad. But they do so at a big risk.

Strength

When the first five names on your team list are Sehwag, Gambhir, Dilshan, de Villiers, and Warner, sufficed to say batting is your strongest asset.

Weakness

Delhi are fast earning the unwanted tag of being club cricket's South Africa in that they have a tendency to choke when it most matters. They made the semi-finals of both IPL seasons and failed to get that far in the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 held in India last year. The batting, fielding and bowling are top notch but it's in the head and gut that this outfit needs to toughen up.

IPL 2009 - the key figures:

Final position: Semi-finalists
Top scorer: AB de Villiers with 465 runs at 51.66
Top wicket-taker: Ashish Nehra with 19 wickets at 18.21 and economy rate of 6.78
Best result: Ten-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab
Worst result: six-wicket loss with 14 balls remaining to eventual winners Deccan Chargers in the semi-finals
Highest team score: 189 v Chennai Super Kings
Lowest team score: 120 for 9 v Punjab

Prediction for 2010

Put your money on them making the semi-finals - and they could get third time lucky.

Preview - Deccan Chargers

Deccan bank on batting for an encore

A euphoric moment from last year

They tried to fly like Superman but crash-landed in the first season. They returned for the second edition as Clark Kent and won the tournament. On the cusp of what could be an interesting third season, the question arises: Will the real Deccan Chargers please stand up?

After the overconfidence of the first year, they realised the importance of the local Indian players doing well and the leadership of Darren Lehmann and Adam Gilchrist ensured that that objective was met in style. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Venugopal Rao and T Suman formed the core of the middle order and offered tremendous value as spinners. And they can continue to depend on Pragyan Ojha, who shone in the last edition with his control and discipline. Even the younger Indian players like Monish Mishra and Rahul Sharma have impressed Gilchrist.

In fact the Indian players are not the problem areas this year; the season hinges on the performance of the foreign players and their ability to adapt to Indian conditions. Can Herschelle Gibbs get back into form? Will Gilchrist himself, being out of cricket for long, have any problem getting into the groove? What is Andrew Symonds' state of mind? If all the above are positive, Deccan have Mitchell Marsh, Ryan Harris, Dwayne Smith, and Kemar Roach who can turn out to be key performers.

The buzz

The main buzz revolved around the games being taken away from the home venue Hyderabad following sporadic violence surrounding the separatist Telangana movement. It may not, however, be a bad thing for the home team - they have not won a single match in the IPL or Champions League on home turf (last year's games were in South Africa).

New faces

Deccan have signed up the upcoming talented batsman Mitchell Marsh, younger brother of Australian opener Shaun, and Kemar Roach as a replacement for fellow West Indian fast bowler Fidel Edwards. Roach impressed the world with his performances in Australia, particularly in his duel with Ricky Ponting. He has the pace of Edwards without the latter's erratic streak. Marsh is an interesting pick and he could very well take Gibbs' spot if the latter continues to not perform.

Watch out for

Andrew Symonds. The world knows what he can do on a cricket field even if at times he forgets it himself. In Indian conditions, he can be a real powerhouse with his off spin or medium pace and with his explosive batting and fielding. The IPL is the only arena where much of the cricketing world will get to see him perform and it should make for a fascinating viewing experience.

Missing in action

Edwards, who sparkled in the early rounds of last year's tournament, is the only big casualty but he has been replaced by the talented Roach.

Strength

Their batting is stronger than the bowling and can be potentially very explosive with the presence of Gilchrist, Symonds, Rohit Sharma and Smith.

Weakness

The bowlers. RP Singh, who was the purple-cap holder last year with 23 wickets, usually struggles in Indian conditions. It has to be seen how Harris and Roach adapt to the conditions. And perhaps there is too much of a burden on the irregular spinners Rohit and Rao. Only time will tell.

X-Factor

Mitchell Marsh. He is a powerful batsman who has captained the Australian Under-19 team to the World Cup triumph recently. Gilchrist rates him highly and it won't be surprising if he replaces Gibbs straightaway.

IPL 2009 - The key figures

Final position: Winners
Top scorer: Gilchrist with 495 runs at 30.93
Top wicket-taker: RP Singh with 23 wickets at 18.13 and economy-rate of 6.50
Best result: The crushing eight-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders was the best though the crushing six-wicket win over Delhi in the semi-final will be more memorable for the brutal innings by Gilchrist. Worst result: 78-run loss to Chennai Super Kings
Highest team score: 184 for 6 v Bangalore
Lowest team score: 100 v Chennai

Prediction for 2010

They should make the semi-finals